TSOS part II

[lonewolf]

Sorry for taking such a long break, armoredamphibian, here's the start of Part II of the Staff Of Souel, entitled, "Catch The Wind," which are lyrics of one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs, "What Is And What Should Never Be." I decided to name part I "Twilight," for various reasons. Noro had ups and downs within the first part, he took kind of changed from light to dark as he discovered his wolf form, and he's visited the temples of light and darkness. Guess what temple in this part? ;D The first chapter is the name of a song in the first Final Fantasy game. For anyone who happens to read this besides armoredamphibian, just ask and I can post part I, "Twilight," for you.

[lonewolf]

Part II - Catch The Wind

Chapter XI - On Our Way


Dyshir and I kept on walking until Edimene was no longer in sight. The ground started to get much more flat the further south we went on the road. I looked around me in all directions, noticing we were surrounded by plains as far as the eye could see. It was something I haven't experienced before, so I thought it was awe-inspiring. I looked at Dsyhir, and he seemed quite indifferent. Expected, since he lives in the area.

"This is so great. What is this region called?" I asked him.

"It's called the Rodigo Plains. It covers a third of this continent, stretching far off into the east," Dyshir replied. "Further south the plains become mountains again."

It occured to me that I wasn't at all sure where we were going. I haven't even looked at the map since before I arrived in Edimene.

"So, do you know where we are going?" I inquired.

Dyshir smirked slightly. "Yes, I know where we're going," he said. I was expecting him to say more so there was a brief period of silence.

"Um...where then?" I asked again.

"Oh, right," he said, laughing slightly. "Further south in the mountains is a farming town. I don't remember what's it called...Acla or something."

I did remember some of my geography lessons in school. "You mean Aclia, right? Why there?"

"I was getting to it. They have a...strange way of life. They worship souel, but not in the way you might think."

I was really curious and maybe even a little excited when he said that. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"It's hard to explain," he replied. "It has something to do with nature. They use very few resources, and they have been just as neutral as Edimene in all the past wars."

I thought about this for a while. The whole idea of it was intriguing. I remembered the weeks I spent in the natural world and how much I enjoyed it.

"So, how far is it?" I asked after a long silence.

Dyshir thought about it for a moment. "Let's see, if we stop tonight when we reach the mountains, then we should be in Aclia tomorrow night, or maybe the next morning, I'm not entirely sure."

After I found out exactly where we were headed, we walked in silence for a long time. I still couldn't see anything but plains in every direction. I was a little bored so I decided I would break the silence and find out a little more about my traveling companion. Something about his appearance caught my attention in particular - his pure white hair.

"I don't intend to offend you by asking, but how is it you have white hair when you're the same age as me? Where does your blood originate?" I asked politely.

I think he looked slightly annoyed. "I'm not really sure. I don't know who my parents are, Yuri raised me in Edimene as long as I can remember," Dyshir said.

"I see," I told him. I noticed that he looked kind of upset, so I added, "Trust me, you're better off not having parents. They just try to control you, and mold you into what they want you to be."

"I always wish I knew my parents. Are you parents really that bad?," he asked me.

I sighed. This wasn't something I felt completely comfortable talking about, but I owed it to him for bringing it up. "They disowned me because of this," I said as I put my hand over my chest, "Because they thought of me as a monster, they told me not to come back until I was cured. Even still, I will never go back, even if I do get cured." My voice changed a little towards the end, making me sound very sad.

Dyshir didn't respond to that. He looked uncomfortable as well, as if he wasn't sure how to react to something like that. I regretted saying what I did. How familiar, I thought, being the source of awkward silence.

We walked for a long time until my throat started to get dry, and I became hungry. I was angry at myself for forgetting to get supplies before I left Edimene with the money I had left. Oh well, I thought, it's probably for the best that I save it. Maybe Dyshir brought something, he was carrying a lot.

I gazed at the pack he was carrying on his back, and he looked at me. "What is it?" he asked in a soft voice.

"You don't happen to have anything to eat or drink, do you?" I asked him in response.

Dyshir stopped and so did I shortly after. He started to look throught his bag. "I guess this is as good a place as any for a break," he said. he pulled out a canteen and another small bundle and sat down on the ground. I followed.

He took a drink from the canteen and he handed it to me. I just took a small amount, just enough to satiate me for the time. He also offered me bread, but I turned it down. I had a strange habit for not eating much. I waited for Dyshir and we continued on our way.

The sun was rapidly descending through the sky. I was relieved when the land started to have slight slopes in it. I knew we were getting close to the mountains.

Dyshir and I talked some more for the remainder of the day, about many random things about our lives before we met each other. He talked about his studies as a healer mostly, and I told him about my dream of going to a University.

Later, when we were both exhausted and the sky was getting dark, we finally reached the mountains. However, Dyshir said we were still a long way from Aclia.

We found a clearing next to a small pond where we decided we would sleep. After gathering some fire wood, I started a fire using my tinder box. Apparently Dyshir was carrying some blankets because when I came back after collecting more wood, he had two crude beds set up by the fire.

"It's a good thing we came prepared," I said to him.

Dyshir smiled and said, "Yes, and it's also a good thing that we brought different stuff. It wouldn't go so well if we both brought tinder boxes, now would it?"

We shared a mild laugh before getting comfortable by the fire in our makeshift beds.

"Well good night, then," I said.

"Goodnight," Dyshir said quietly while yawning.

[armoredamphibian]

Sorry I didn't reply before. Cool! You're definitely improving! Good luck with the rest.

[lonewolf]

Well I wanted to explain all the unexplainable with The Staff Of Souel, and this chapter touches on one of my favorite myths, vampires. Pretty soon we'll come across the hippies of The Staff Of Souel, a.k.a. the Aclians.

Chapter XII - The Cave


I awoke when I became aware of the sun shining on my face. I sat up and rubbed my eyes before looking at my surroundings. It seemed like a great day for traveling, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and a gentle breeze was blowing. The fire I made last night was now a small pile of ash.

Then I looked at Dyshir, still asleep. He rolled over and started to snore quite obnoxiously. I didn't want to wake him up yet because it was still very early in the morning. I decided to take a quick walk before waking him, unless of course he woke up before I got back.

As amazing as the Rodigo plains were, the Aclian mountains were even more interesting. I followed the stream that emptied into the pond south to a waterfall. The water flowed over a cliff that was around three times my height. The cliff was too wide to want to walk around. It seemed a better option to just go over it. I walked up next to the falls to climb up, but I saw a shadow behind the water.

Examining the shadow closer revealed a cavern. It looked really dark inside, so I decided it would be best just to go back and see if Dyshir was awake rather than explore the cave.

After finding my way through the trees to the pond, I saw that Dyshir was still sleeping, not to mention snoring as well. I walked over to him and bent down. I shook him to rouse him from his slumber.

"Dyshir," I said. "Dyshir, wake up."

Dyshir slowly realized what was going on and sat up. "Time to go already?" he said as he yawned. He got up out of his bed and I helped him pack up our sorry excuse for a camp.

We were only walking for a few minutes before clouds seemed to come out of nowhere. The sky kept getting darker and darker. It wasn't long before it started to rain intensely.

"Aw, we're going to get drenched," Dyshir whined.

I hated being in soaked clothes as much as anyone else, and I did not want to continue in the rain. "It's okay, there is a cave up ahead where we can stay dry until the rain passes over," I informed him.

I led Dyshir upstream to the waterfall I found earlier that morning. Dyshir followed me behind the deluge to the dark cavern. We stopped when we were both inside and protected from getting wet. We were only standing for a few moments before it was obvious that we were both bored.

"Care to do some exploring?" I asked Dyshir. I was curious to see where the caverns led to, if they led to anything at all. It seemed Dyshir was considerably less curious, though. He had a slightly troubled look on his face.

"Hmm...I don't know," Dyshir said in a slightly whining voice. "Caves are usually dwellings for creatures I'd rather not have to encounter."

"Oh, stop being so unadventurous, Dyshir, it's better than just standing here, right?" I said to him.

"Okay, okay, let's go then."

We both made light appear at the fingertip of our index fingers so we could see in the cavern. We just started to walk down deeper into the cave when suddenly we heard a loud noise.

"What on Phylos was that?" Dyshir asked in despair. We were both worried when we went back to the entrance to find the way out blocked by fallen rock.

"What are the odds of that happening?" asked Dyshir. "We're stuck in here now. Just great."

Dyshir seemed very worried, so I tried my best to comfort him. "It's okay, I'm sure the cave leads somewhere, there must be another way out. Come on."

We started again down the path in the cave. We followed the snaking path for a while, completely void of any sign of light, or anything else for that matter.

After walking for what seemed like an hour we saw a faint flicker of light ahead of us.

"Alright, we found a way out!" exclaimed Dyshir.

"Don't get excited yet," I said. I felt something strange, like something bad was about to happen. After taking a few more steps toward the light, I shuddered. I felt something wrong, and it wasn't just premonition, I could actually feel a strange force up ahead. I didn't know what it was, but it made me feel sick. Dyshir must have felt it too, because he shuddered as well.

Soon the narrow path led to a much larger cavern. It had a few torches on the walls, displaying shelves of books, chests, piles of gold, clothes, and a lot of other stuff.

"Whoa," said Dyshir. "Does someone live here?"

"It would seem that way," I replied. "But something still doesn't feel right."

After I said that I heard a faint sound. It gradually got louder, and it became apparent that it was someone laughing. I exchanged glances with Dyshir. The laughter wasn't coming from either of us.

Just then in a flash something appeared in the center of the cavern. It was a tall and thin man. He had long black hair and the palest skin I've ever seen, it was literally white. His face was somewhat sunken in, with the cheekbones protruding.

The look of his face was scary. It sent another chill down my spine. It's hard to explain but it just didn't seem natural, he was perfectly still, and his penetrating stare was almost painful. I realized that the strange feeling I was getting was coming directly from him, an immense energy, almost like souel but tainted somehow.

Following a few moments of silent staring the man spoke in a deep monotone. "Welcome, Noro and Dyshir."

"Hey, how do you know us?" I asked.

The man laughed once again. "Ha, you petty mortals are so ignorant. You really can't figure it out? The rain and the falling rocks were my doing of course. You're just two of many travelers led into my lair."

Dyshir's voice was the smallest I've heard it. "I've heard of this before. His souel has become corrupted, he's a vampire."

"That is correct," replied the vampire. "But, enought talk, I yearn for your souel."

The man moved closer to them slowly, he looked as if he wasn't even touching the ground when he walked. Dyshir whimpered a little.
I held my spear tightly. When the vampire had reached me, he held out his hand towards me. I attempted to spear him, but he reacted faster than my eyes could trace and caught the spear.

His hand nearly touching me, I felt even more strange than before. I could feel the very life being drained out of me, it was the most intense physical and mental anguish I've ever felt. I yelled out in agony as I could no longer support the weight of my spear and let it drop to the cave floor.

"Noro!" called Dyshir. Instantly a bright flash filled the room, and I could see was white, so I shut my eyes tightly to avoid further pain. In that same instant, however, my pain ceased all together, as the vampire reeled back in pain, his hands covering his face. I still felt too weak to do anything, and lay on the ground.

Dyshir ran over to the vampire and using the bigger top end of his staff smashed him in the head, knocking him down on the ground. Dyshir then pointed the end of the staff at him. A beam of light shot out of it at the vampire.

Suddenly, the vampire disappeared. A few seconds later he appeared behind Dyshir, and held a knife to his throat. Seeing this out of the corner of my eye, I jumped up spear in hand and using all of my force, thrusted the spear at the vampire's head, going through the back and then coming out the front.

Blood came spurting out of both the entry and exit of the wound. Dyshir, although covered in blood, ran away from the vampire, now free from his grasp.

Without even thinking I changed into my wolf form while the vampire was clutching his head, the part of his face that was still left showing malice. He sent a raging flame towards me, but I had already charged my souel and sent a larger wave of darkness to counter it.

Overcoming the fire easily, the darkness completely consumed the vampire, reducing him to dust. A very faint blue light emerged from the ashes, and then disappated.

Dyshir walked up next to me. He wiped some blood out of his face. I was still a little curious as to what exactly a vampire is. It's not something that is taught in school, at least not in Albaer.

"What was that?" I asked Dyshir.

"It's only supposed to be a myth, but vampires are people who have had their souel corrupted, so that the souel will never leave the body. This allows them to live forever, as long as they keep absorbing the souel of others," Dyshir replied.

"I guess we returned the souel to the cycle, then," I said proudly.

Dyshir, still a bloody mess, was annoyed. "That's all well and good, but I'd really like to change my clothes," Dyshir said quietly.

I thought of how I was in great need of a new outfit. I remembered the abundance of clothes the vampire kept.

"Let's look what the vampire keeps in stock," I said as I walked over to the many chests filled with assorted clothing. They ranged from all different colors as well as sizes, I figured they probably belonged to the vampire's victims.

I found some apparel that was to my liking, black breeches, a dark blue tunic, and to my surprise a much nicer black cloak with gold trim. They were all loose fitting so that my transformations would not ruin them.

I looked over to Dyshir who seemed to have found some clothes himself. He was holding a light brown tunic and white breeches.

"So, shall we continue?" I asked him.

Dyshir nodded so we continued through the caverns. Following the new unexplored path, we were able to find another exit, further down the cliff. I pointed out the waterfall where we first entered.

"You're still covered in blood. You can wash under the waterfall. I'm going to wait over there, so tell me when you're done," I told him.

"Okay," Dyshir replied.

I walked away from the waterfall and sat down up against a tree on the opposite side. I waited for a while, enjoying the sky which was now clear and blue again.

Dyshir tapped me on the shoulder. I turned up to look at him in his newly found outfit.

Eager to bathe myself after a long time without bathing, I took off my old dirty clothes and went under the falling deluge. The water was frigid, but it felt good to get clean.

After cleaning myself up and putting on my fresh new clothes, I found Dyshir sitting behind the same tree.

"Are you ready to go, Dyshir?" I said as I held out my hand.

"Yes, let's get as far away from this place as possible," Dyshir said as he grabbed my hand and I helped him up.

"It seems we have a knack for getting us in trouble, huh?" I said to him.

Dyshir ran his hand through his hair and smiled. "That's okay, we make a great team."

"That we do," I agreed. I took out my map from my bag and found our position. "It looks like we have to go through Tralbia Pass before we get to Aclia. We'd best get moving."

"Right," agreed Dyshir as we continued our journey.

[armoredamphibian]

Interesting Vampire concept. And I forgot to mention this before, but your battle scenes are really well choreographed. Can't wait to see the hippies.

[lonewolf]

Thanks, my philosophy is if you're going to have supernatural destructive forces, you'd better use them, right? Not much going on in this chapter, except for a new character. After the next chapter they should be in Aclia so there will be more interesting stuff going on.


Chapter XIII - Tralbia Pass


Dyshir and I walked for several more hours, until the mountains ahead of us were much more substantial in size, almost seeming to reach the clouds.

It was obvious we weren't going to climb over the mountains, so there was only one path we could take, the narrow valley between the mountains, indicated on my map as Tralbia Pass.

As we approached the pass I could feel a wind coming from the direction we were traveling in, and a warm wind at that. I figured that the climate south of the pass must be tropical from the ocean currents. North of the pass was left only temperate because the warm winds were blocked by the mountains, leaving only the colder, northeast winds to reach the plains.

When we finally reached the narrow valley with the looming, steep mountains on both sides, it was completely engulfed in shadows. Being late in the day now, the sunlight was obstructed by the mountains.

As with any new environment, I was fascinated. Having minimal conversation for the majority of the walk pushed me to initiate one.

"So, have you been here before?" I asked the healer.

"No, I haven't," Dyshir replied indifferently in a low mumble. Luckily I had pretty good hearing and was able to figure out what he was saying when I'd imagine many would not.

"You don't think this is beautiful?" I asked, hoping for some sort of positive response.

"I guess," Dyshir said, looking at the ground in front of him.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. If he was going to be traveling with me for a long time, I didn't want any lingering problems.

"Not really..." Dyshir replied quietly.

I didn't want to pressure him into answering if he didn't want to, so I waited for a further response. After a little while, he continued.

"It's just everything that's happened. We're in a lot of danger," Dyshir said with worry.

"I know," I replied. "But it's not really worth it to worry about it," I said, kind of lying, as I was worried a little myself, but I needed to make Dyshir feel better. "What happens will happen, and that's all there is to it."

By saying this I reminded myself that I didn't need to worry, either, so I was a little relieved.

For some reason, I started to think about food then. We haven't eaten much all day, just a few snacks out of Dyshir's pack. I thought I heard my stomach make loud grumbling noises. When a few seconds later I heard it again, but louder and more distinct, I realized what the sound had really come from.

I stopped walking. Dyshir stopped close to me and whispered, "What is it?"

Trying not to draw attention to myself I whispered back, "Slowly look up on the cliff behind you. Try not to be afraid."

Dyshir gulped and slowly turned his head, while trembling. He whimpered a little when he gazed up at the lion standing proudly on the edge of the cliff, looking down at us.

"How can I not be afraid?" Dyshir whispered to me, still looking at the lion.

I knew what was necessary. Without hesitation I changed into the wolf form. Dyshir was still staring at the lion, his eyes wide. I tried to scare the lion off by growling as loud as I could. I made aggressive movements, slashing at the air.

In response, the lion roared, sending a beam of light at us. I didn't realize what was happening in time to respond, so I was hit. My shoulder had a chunk missing, and blood was soaking my fur. I held my injured arm in agony.

The lion, now confident, jumped down into the valley to face us. Dyshir was between me and the lion, but he was slowly moving backwards towards me. The lion roared again, sending another beam.

Dyshir stopped it just in time, though. Holding out his hand in front of him, he was behind a glowing ethereal wall. The lion's blast was reflected off of the souel shield and sent right back to him, leaving it wounded as well.

The feline retreated, not having the capability of continuing the battle. With the threat gone, I reverted back and sat on the ground. Dyshir came over to me and crouched on my right side, the side with the injured shoulder. I was in too much pain to say anything.

"Just hold still, I'll take care of it," Dyshir said as he put his hand over the wound. I could sense his souel charging, and my arm started to feel different. Looking down at my shoulder, I noticed the bleeding and pain ceased. Then, the flesh started to slowly regenerate. After my shoulder was back to normal, Dyshir stood up.

"Thank you. I'd be dead without you right now," I told him.

Dyshir looked off into the distance. "Well, I would be dead without you as well. You saved me back in the cave, as well as in the temple...And you know what? When you growled at that lion, well, it kind of helped me be less afraid. I probably wouldn't have reacted in time if you didn't do that."

When I was sitting on the ground of the valley, I thought for a while about what I was doing. Although he was kind of a coward, I needed him to survive just as much as he needed me. Having a purpose like that, to be relied upon for something, really did feel good.

I just got up and started walking, coming closer to the tropical region ahead. "It looks like we're almost there," I said.

"Hey, Noro," Dyshir called.

"What is it?" I asked in response.

"I've been thinking...about Relinda," he said in a disturbing tone.

"Yes, I have as well," I replied after sighing.

"Well, shouldn't we do something? It just seemes like we're the only ones who is aware of what is happening."

I stopped walking and turned around to look at Dyshir. I wasn't the most enthusiastic about looking for trouble, but I felt obligated to at least do something. It would eventually involve me anyway, if she succeeded in attaining such a power. But what could we do? She had an entire guard on her side, and we were just two people.

"Noro?" Dyshir asked, while I was still lost in thought.

"You're right," I replied finally.

"Noro!" Dyshir yelled as he pointed behind me. I turned around to look, and the lion was mid-air heading in my direction. I was too surprised to take any action, but just as it was about to land on me, a strong gust blew by, and the lion was knocked away.

While the lion recovered from the attack, I saw an arrow, impaled directly into the lion's right eye. The lion attempted to attack, but it did not have the strength. It let out a weak roar as it closed it's eyes and collapsed on the ground.

"Uh, you don't have a bow, do you?" I heard Dyshir ask behind me.

I was busy looking around to see where the shot had come from. At the top of the cliff to the left of me was a short figure. I couldn't see him too well because of his location.

The figure jumped off of the cliff, and instead of plummeting to his death, he charged his souel and drifted softly down to the ground not too far away from us.

Then I realized it was a boy, looking several years younger than me. He had light green eyes, tan skin, and light blue hair. The hair looked different, though, it looked almost like plumage. He also had the same type of "hair" on his wrists. The boy wore very strange clothing. The design on his tunic and breeches was dazzling to say the least. It was light blue and green, but the colors were all different shades blended, intertwined in a spiral shape. Shortly after he landed, a colorful bird roosted on his shoulder. The boy grinned and said with enthusiasm, "Hey, I'm Milo. Where do you guys come from?"

"Oh, hello," I said, surprised at the sight of him. "Well, I'm Noro, from Albaer, and this is Dyshir, from Edimene."

"Oh, Edimene, I've heard of that!" Milo replied, still smiling. "Hey, you should really watch yourself in these parts, them lions are mighty fierce. Luckily, I was around," he gloated, laughing afterwards.

"Yep, lucky we were around," said a sharp, high voice.

"Whoa, did your bird just talk?" asked Dyshir.

"What?" asked Milo. "Oh, you mean Zephyr? Of course he talks, he is a parrot, after all," he said, laughing again.

I never saw anything that could talk that wasn't human before, so naturally I was curious. "Where did you get Zephyr from?" I asked politely.

Milo thought for a moment. "Gee, I don't know. He's been my best friend for as long as I can remember," he said, followed by a chirp from Zephyr. "Well, we gotta go now, see you later!" Milo said as he ran south out of the pass.

Dyshir and I both stood silent for a moment, a little shocked by the strange boy.

"So, did you see that kid's hair?" Dyshir whispered.

"Yes, it looked like feathers. Was he Aclian?" I asked.

"He could have been. Aclians are said to be very strange," Dyshir replied. "Don't you think we should get going before it gets dark?"

"Yes, let us go," I said as I started to walk again. After walking for a while we finally made it through Tralbia Pass and into the hotter, tropical forest between us and Aclia.

[armoredamphibian]

Oh, cool! I love Milo already!

[lonewolf]

lol, the chapter name is quite a contradiction, but I think it says a lot about my take on destiny. I say destiny as well as choice are just illusions, because really, you may have options, but you're only going to stick with one, so your own opinions control your own destiny. It doesn't make much sense I guess, but it's an abstract topic, it's not supposed to!

Chapter XIV - A Destined Choice


Dyshir and I walked past exotic trees, flowers of every color I could think of, and saw many colorful bird flying fast past us. The forest, although mostly in shade from it's abundance of flora, it was noticably hotter than the Rodigo Plains. We did not get too far before we were both extremely tired and hungry.

At that point Dyshir was lagging behind, panting slightly. "Don't you think we should rest yet, Noro? I know you have to be tired as well."

I kept walking at my fast pace, as much as my legs hurt. I had a decent threshold for pain and I wanted to cover as much ground as I could before calling it a day. "Just a little further," I insisted.

We reached a point where the forest's elevation started to decline. Walking became slightly easier, so Dyshir wasn't whining as much.

Dyshir pointed and called out, "Hey, do you see that? What are those strange birds?" he asked.

I looked ahead of us, and saw bipedal creatures with large wings, although they looked too heavy to fly. One of them jumped down the hill in front of them, and I heard something shortly after. The other bird followed.

"Hm...Are those...penguins?" I said, unsure of myself.

Dyshir snorted slightly. "No, it couldn't be, penguins live in the polar regions, right?"

"Yes, but they looked so much like them," I said confidently. I started to run towards the penguins to get a better look. I could hear Dyshir's footsteps behind me, indicating he was reluctantly keeping up.

We both stopped short when we saw what was ahead of us. Dyshir and I looked down below us, and saw a wide, gently flowing river. The depression in the ground seem to come out of nowhere, so I was a little surprised to see it. Below, the small birds skimmed across the top of the river, going upstream. I couldn't see them too well, but I could feel their souel being used.

"There is no way we could make that drop. We would have to climb down, but are you really feeling up to it?" Dyshir asked.

I pondered for a moment about the condition of my legs and what a hassle it would be to climb down to the river below. "I guess we should stop here for the night, then.

Dyshir sighed in relief. "Finally," he mumbled, dropping his bag down on the ground, beginning to set up camp.

I started another fire, as unecessary it seemed at the time in the warmth, and sat down a good distance away from it by Dyshir. The sun had not set yet, but I could tell it was going to in about an hour. Although we were fatigued, neither of us were ready to sleep.

Dyshir picked through his bag, taking out the last of the remaining food, which was scarce. I knew we should have probably saved it, so I said, "Dyshir, we're going to be hungry later on, don't you think we should be more careful with the rations?"

Dyshir wasted no time in stuffing his face with bread. "I'm hungry now, though," he said, muffled by a mouth full of food. I turned away in response to his eating habits, but looked at him again a few seconds later. He was holding out some bread for me.

After looking at it briefly I took the bread and murmured, "Thanks," and scarfed it down, despite the fact I knew I shouldn't have. I was just too hungry.

After we finished the last of our rations, we sat silently for a while. The sun was just sinking below the horizon. Dyshir looked away from the fire to me. "Noro, about Relinda...I know I'm not much of a fighter, but I still want to do something about her," he said quietly.

The more I thought about Relinda, and of course she was on my mind more than I'd like, my opinion changed. I knew we should do something, but it seemed like it wouldn't be a worthy cause for me. Even though Relinda indirectly led the death of the only people in this world like me, I felt that revenge wouldn't help me. Besides, we were too insignificant to make a difference.

"I say leave it for someone else to do. We would probably just end up dead and accomplishing nothing, anyway," I said.

Dyshir looked a little frustrated. "Noro, she could kill all of us even if we don't get involved."

"I'm fully aware, Dyshir, but our efforts would be in vain. I'd rather pursue a goal that won't make me the enemy of an entire kingdom," I replied in a tone that could have been interpreted as offensive.

After looking at the fire for a while, Dyshir finally replied, "Even if we can't fight her, maybe we should tell someone who can."

As cowardly as Dyshir was, his heart was in the right place, and he was clever. I kind of admired that, and I agreed with his idea, so I said, "Yes, that is an excellent idea," I said ferverently. "But who could we inform who would actually take action?"

I took out my map and studied it in the fire light. Looking over the region where we were, I did not see many cities. The closest one was far the southeast, a city called Farethia.

"Does Farethia have a king?" I asked Dyshir, still studying the map.

"Yes, I believe it does. If I remember correctly it's Relinda's brother," Dyshir stated.

I was slightly worried that asking Relinda's brother to stop her would be too complicated. Still, we had to at least try.

"So, after our visit to Aclia, we shall go to Farethia. Agreed?" I asked, folding up my map and putting it back in my bag.

Dyshir nodded in response. "Yes," he said quietly. Following his response he yawned and lay down on his blankets.

"Are you retiring, then?" I asked.

"Yep, I'm exhausted," he said in a low voice as he got comfortable and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, then," I said to him, still sitting up wide awake.

Dyshir replied with a barely audible, "Goodnight," as he drifted into slumber.

I sat up thinking for a while, staring at the fire. My brain was too active to sleep. I was happy to have Dyshir with me, and the fact that we saw eye to eye made me even more ecstatic. The purpose of my quest almost escaped my mind. Running my hand over the scars made me feel uneasy.

When and if I find a cure, will I still be around Dyshir? Would I go to live in Edimene? It does have a University, but I'm not so sure if I wanted to live there, it's not all that appealing to me. I didn't want to be alone again, though.

Trying to block out these thoughts, I lay down, closed my eyes, and after waiting for sleep to come for what seemed like hours it did.

[lonewolf]

Ugh, I'm a little iffy on this chapter because I was unsure of what to write, that's why it took so long.


Chapter XV - The Ascent


When I awoke the next morning, Dyshir woke up only several minutes after I did. I think I must have slept later than usual because of how tired I was.

I was refreshed after the night's sleep, though, and climbed down the rock wall with ease. I couldn't say the same for Dyshir, unfortunately. After I made my way to the river below, I waited for Dyshir to go down the rest of the way. He was shaking the entire time.

"Just take it easy and you won't fall," I said, assuringly.

Dyshir didn't look down at all. "I can't, so you are just going to have to wait," he said in a weak voice. When he finally reached the bottom, we decided the only way to cross the river would be to jump. Of course, neither of us were capable of jumping that far, so controlling my emotions I harnessed the power of darkness once again.

After changing, I grabbed the twitchy Dyshir and just managed to make it across the river. After we were both safe on the other side, I changed back to conserve my energy.

"Please, never, ever do that again," Dyshir whined.

"What else were we supposed to do?" I asked, but I recieved no answer other than an annoyed look.

We continued west until about the middle of the day, when we finally arrived at the Aclian Mountains. We only had to climb up a relatively small mountain to reach Aclia. I figured it would take us a few hours. I didn't bother to point out Dyshir's miscalculation, as I knew it wasn't worth bringing up.

The climb was slow and dreadful, with both of us taking frequent short breaks when we came to a level surface big enough for us to sit on. I was glad that the sun was on the other side of the mountains, or else I would have been too tired to make it up due to the heat of this region.

Towards the end of the climb we had hardly the strength to continue, but I think we were both determined to go all the way to the top. At the last ridge, gathering up reserved strength I pulled myself up, dropping down to the ground in relief.

I leaned over, pulled Dyshir up, and we rested for a while before following the path that led to the home of the strange creatures called Aclians. Dragging our feet along we managed to make it to our destination just before sun set.

We came to a large relatively flat area between several peaks. There were a few stone buildings, but mostly the area was filled with cloth huts. Looking across the land beyond, I saw that it was used for agricultural purposes. Not surprising, as although it was at a high elevation, it was quite warm up in Aclia.

I didn't see anybody walking around, though. I heard some supressed sound in the distance, but it was so foreign to me at the time I did not know what to think of it. I was attempting to locate the origin of the sound when someone popped up out of nowhere in front of me.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" said the familiar blue haired boy.

"Hello," said the matching blue and green parrot on his shoulder.

"Uh...Hey," Dyshir mumbled to Milo.

"Hello," I responded. "We would have told you, but you ran off, remember?" I asked politely, followed by a giant grin from Milo. "Anyway, I came here looking seeking knowledge on souel. Do you know anyone who is a healer or anyone wise?"

Milo thought for a moment, and then shouted with delight, "Yeah, Serobi knows everything. He's the sage!"

"Could you take me to see him, please?" I pleaded.

"Yeah, sure. Follow me, he's at the concert," he said, running towards the dark stone building, with Zephyr flying behind him. Dyshir and I followed, but at a much slower pace. When we came closer to the structure I saw that it was very old and unkept, the stone crumbling in areas and vegetation slowly growing around it.

The unfamiliar sound was much clearer now, and I could hear distinct different instruments, all playing a catchy tune. This was the first time I've actually heard music, and right away I loved it.

Walking inside I saw an abundance of people all sitting down on cushions or blankets the floor in the dimly lit building. They all seemed quite relaxed and focused on the music being played. Not only did they all have Milo's blue hair, but similar clothing with swirls of blending color.

The large, open room was heavily decored with intriguing yet trivial objects, like large posters with smears of color on them, seemingly depicting nothing in particular, while others were of animals, trees, mountains, and stuff like that.

At the end room was a group of people using things I've never seen before. One of them was wailing on several different sized cylindrical objects placed in a semi-circle around him. Another was blowing into a long pipe with holes on the front. The last one was playing some sort of instrument with strings on it.

In that moment the old man playing the stringed instrument closed his eyes, and plucked vigorously at the strings, making a beautiful sound that was unpredictable and moving. I felt a faint use of souel coming from all the blue haired Aclians in the room, while I felt a gentle breeze move through the room. Shortly after, the people stopped playing, and everyone clapped softly.

"What was that?" I asked Milo.

"That was...incredible," said Dyshir in a stunned voice.

"Haven't you heard of music before?" Milo said playfully. "Come on, I'll show you Serobi," he continued, leading me through the crowd to where the musicians where resting, all of us carefully avoiding stepping on the others.

I accidently tripped on people a few times, and I could see that Dyshir did, too. We both immediately apologized, but no one seemed to be concerned or upset at all. They just looked up at us happily and said, "I'm not hurt," or "It's okay, continue," in the most non-offending manner.

When we made it to the musicians, the old man stood up, approaching Milo. He still had blue hair like Milo's but his face was wrinkled. His eyes were deep blue and showed great wisdom. "Hello, Milo, are you feeling at peace today?" the man asked in a cheerful tone.

"Yes, Serobi, I am. These guys want to talk to you, though," Milo answered, motioning to us.

The old man squinted a little and examined us. He then touched his fingertips together and bowed his head. "Welcome to our home. What can I do for you?" Serobi asked.

"Hello, I'm Noro, and I am seeking your knowledge on souel," I told him.

"Ah, say no more, Noro, all of us will retire to my hut to discuss this matter. This way," Serobi said, walking through the crowd towards the door. So Milo, Dyshir, and I all followed him out.

He led us to one of the many similar huts in the small village of Aclia. He was supposed to be a sage, and yet he did not have a larger tent or anything like that, which I thought was strange.

Entering the hut, I noticed it was very modest on the interior. In a circle were cloth mats on the ground. Other than that, in the corner there was only a stack of books, a small sack, and a already lit torch burning.

We all sat down on the mats in a circle, with Serobi nearest the corner with his belongings, Milo next to him with Zephyr on his shoulder, Dyshir, and then me.

"So, what do you think of Aclia so far?" Serobi asked me. It was an unexpected question, and I wasn't exactly sure what I should say.

"Well, I find it very interesting. Everything is so different than what I'm used to. Can I ask you about those clothes of yours?" I inquired.

"Ah, yes, our clothes are a tradition here in Aclia. We call it tie dye. We like our clothes to reflect everything about nature. It's diversity, it's beauty, it's uniqueness. Colors like blue and green bring out desirable moods, they can make you more relaxed or creative.

But that's only a small part of Aclian culture. We live simple lives, all working together and sharing our bounty equally among all of us. We don't focus on material possessions, either. Being together is all we really need.

Souel is also an important part of our lives. In order to better ourselves, we meditate and expand our minds by opening them to souel. Souel is what makes life possible, so we honor it greatly. What about souel did you want to know in particular, Noro?"

"Well," I stammered, as I felt as uncomfortable talking about my curse as any other time, "I was attacked by wolves, and now...I change into one. In the past I've lost control of the power, and I ended up hurting many in the process. I want to be free of it."

Serobi's expression changed into a serious one as he thought for a moment. "Since there are no wolves in this region, I haven't come across your condition before. However, I know there is a cure. You would have to find experts on darkness, though. Here in Aclia we do not delve into the school of darkness, as it is the most difficult, as well as unpredictable and dangerous," he told me.

I was dissappointed and upset again. I frowned and looked down at the ground before replying, "But...I don't know where I can find experts on darkness."

"Don't let the negativity get to you, Noro. My advice to you is to stay composed and calm. If you learn to control your emotions, you will be stronger than you can imagine. Here, eat this," Serobi said, holding out a leaf, "it will calm you down."

I ate it, and a few minutes later I was feeling a lot better actually. Finally I said, "Thank you for your time, Serobi, but I'm very tired."

"Of course," replied Serobi, "it is getting quite late. I'd offer you a place to sleep, but I'm afraid there is not adequate space."

Milo beamed a smile at me. "Hey, how would you two like to stay the night in my home?" he asked.

Almost tired enough to fall asleep standing up, I was happy that Milo made the offer. "Thank you, Milo, that would be great," I said.

We all got up, and we all said our farewells to Serobi. Leaving the tent, I anxiously waited for Milo to escort us to his tent.

"Okay, guys, we just have to make it over that peak," Milo said, pointing off to one of the surrounding mountains.

"Are you serious?" Dyshir asked, annoyed.

"Come on, Dyshir, the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get some rest."

Fortunately, the path to Milo's home was a relatively easy one compared the our journey up to Aclia. It did not take long at all to crest the slope and come down to a clearing between a group of trees. I was shocked to see a familiar sight. A temple, built out of stone.

"This is your home?" Dyshir asked Milo.

"Yeah, come on inside so we can eat," Milo said, excited.

We followed him inside, and my thoughts were confirmed seeing the large sealed door leading down to chambers below. Milo did not have much on the interior of the temple, just a place for him to sleep and various tools scattered across the floor. "This is the temple of Jorra, then?" I asked.

"I don't even know who Jorra is," replied Milo. "Here, have some fruit," he said, taking some exotic blue fruit from a pile on the floor.

Knowing I wasn't going to get my answers from Milo, I didn't bother continuing my inquiries, and just enjoyed the tasty fruit. It wasn't soon after that Milo was getting himself comfortable, and in a moment he was asleep.

"I'm worried, Noro," Dyshir mumbled. "Don't you think Relinda will come here?"

"We can only hope that she doesn't," I replied. "Still, I wasn't expecting to find a temple here. We should ask Serobi about our this tomorrow, he should definitely have some insight."

Soon, both Dyshir and I set up our beds and drifted off into a deep slumber.

[armoredamphibian]

Sirrobi? Serebii? Oh, Serobi.

Now that I've had my lame joke, I'd like to say that the Aclians are awesome. Kudos for designing such a neat culture, Lupe. And again, it's better to take a long time to write a good chapter than rush out a crappy one.

[lonewolf]

Thanks I honestly didn't think it was that good. Also Serobi = Sir Obi Wan Kenobi.

[lonewolf]

Chapter XVI - A Royal Pain


When I woke up, I saw that Dyshir and Milo were still asleep. I wanted some fresh air so I left the temple. Now that the sun was up, I admired the architecture of the temple properly. It had etchings of birds and wavy lines in the sides; indeed this was Jorra's temple.

Looking down on the land below, I decided it was time for some reflecting on what has been happening.

Serobi told me that I would become strong if I learned to control my emotions completely. If it weren't for my abilities, it is very likely I would not be alive. But then again, I would never have left Albaer in that case.

Could I learn to master these powers so I wouldn't have to worry about killing again? The feeling of it the first time was the worst I've ever felt, I didn't want to experience it ever again. Even remembering it brought back all of those bad feelings.

Standing on top of the ridge outside the temple, I shuddered. I thought maybe I should take Serobi's advice. I closed my eyes and went into a trance.

First, I concentrated on my breathing, making my mind blank. I managed to push all of the negative thoughts about taking all of their lives out of my head. I tried bringing the change, but it didn't come.

I was disappointed that I wasn't able to do it. I knew that I wasn't ready to harness the level of control Serobi was talking about. I was still a danger to people around me.

I heard something way off in the distance. My heart started to beat faster. I looked down the mountain, looking for anything or anyone. All I saw was rocks and trees.

Wait a minute, I thought, I hear that noise again. What is it? It sounded like people talking, so I got low to the ground still peering down the mountainside.

A little later not one but many figures emerged from the tropical vegetation. Looking more closely I identified them as ten people clad in shiny, metallic armor, one person with a dark crimson cloak obscuring her entire body, including her face, and lastly one more person in white and violet. This is bad, I thought.

Staying low, I crept back in the temple. First I went to Dyshir. I shook him, whispering, "Wake up." After he started to stir, I quickly went over to where Milo was sleeping. I roused him from sleep as well, saying, "Milo, there are people outside, you need to wake up."

"That's okay, I'm going to sleep," Milo said, as he groaned and turned over to sleep on his other side.

Because of the severeness of the situation, I took drastic measures to waking him up. Putting my finger next to his face, using a little souel I moved an electric charge into his face. Milo jolted up immediately, "What did you do that for?" Milo asked in a perturbed voice.

I motioned to Milo to whisper and said quietly, "There is a large group of people outside, and they came here to take something. We have to get out of here, it's too dangerous to stay."

Dyshir started shaking again. "It's Relinda, isn't it?" he said in that all too familiar whine.

Milo held out his finger. "Don't worry, we're not letting her take anything!" Milo exclaimed. Just after saying that, Zephyr glided down from wherever he was sleeping and roosted on his protruding finger.

"But, Milo, you don't understand, Relinda is a queen, and she has a small army backing her up. It's in our best interest to retreat for now," I said, trying to convince Milo to understand simple logic.

"I don't care if she is a queen, this is my home!" Milo said zealously. "Come on, Zephyr, let's get ready to fight!" the Aclian said, running out the door of the temple.

"Milo, wait!" I exclaimed, but it was of no use. Milo was too stubborn. I sighed and said to Dyshir, "We'd better help him. It looks like we're going to have to fight Relinda."

"Noro, you even said we aren't strong enough. How are we going to live through this let alone win?" Dyshir asked.

"It's risky, I know. All of the Aclians are not too far away; we might be able to signal them to come to our aid. If that doesn't work, then we might just have to make an escape. I just know Milo and Zephyr will die if we don't go out there and help them. Let's go, Dyshir," I told him as I walked out the door.

Outside, the queen herself and her eleven companions greeted us. Next to Relinda was the mysterious figure in the crimson cloak, which I still could not identify.

The ten guards in chain mail all stood in a square formation in front of her. One of the men in chain mail had a special addition to his armor. The metal was adorned with a gold trim, obviously signifying a higher rank than the others.

Milo and Zephyr stood still defiantly blocking their way inside the temple. He had a devious grin on his face, I wasn't sure if he was brave or just stupid.

Relinda's booming voice came from behind her soldiers. "You, boy, move out of my way at once if you have any sense in your head."

Milo was readying his bow, taking a wooden arrow out of a quiver and knocking it. Preparing for the worst, I held my spear in both hands, and I saw that Dyshir had his staff ready as well.

"No way," Milo replied. "This is my home, you aren't welcome here. If you want to come through you'll have to fight us."

Way to add fuel to the fire, Milo, I thought. I was getting even tenser listening to Milo provoke Relinda and watching the queen's face scrunch up in rage.

"Lord Exema, deal with them now!" Relinda commanded to the guard in gold trimmed armor. Lord Exema, with his very short grey hair and face like chiseled rock, motioned for the others to attack, unsheathing his bright steel and waving it in front of him.

Immediately, I saw Milo pull back his bowstring, and I felt not only his souel flowing, but Zephyr's as well. Exema only took a few steps before an arrow came flying through the air at a ludicrous speed, piercing the chain mail armor on his left arm. Exema couldn't help but yell out in pain and drop his sword. The commander was left immobile crouching down.

The other guards stopped for a moment in shock of what happened, but soon got a handle on the situation and continued forward. Milo didn't have time to knock another arrow because the soldiers were so close, so he threw his bow on the ground beside him.

I was feeling nervous for Milo, and I would have entered the battle to help him, but I couldn't move. All I could bring myself to do was watch in horror of what might happen.

Milo was obviously still confident, though. He sent Zephyr to fly high into the air and up above the soldiers, flying in a spiral. I could again sense both of them utilizing the potential of their souel.

Relinda's guards, still charging at Milo, were caught up in a maelstrom, sending them flying up into the air, all yelling in fright. It was only a moment before they came crashing down again further away from the temple, unable to move with the wind knocked out of them.

Zephyr flew back to Milo's shoulder, and Milo was smirking at Relinda, who looked even more furious.

"Exema, you worthless fossil!" Relinda screamed in a deafening roar. "You will regret this, boy! You are still no match for a High Mage!"

At this point, the figure in the crimson cloak stepped forward, those that were in front of him now cleared away. What I felt next was astounding; the souel the High Mage charged was beyond anything I felt before.

Without realizing it, not only Milo and Zephyr, but also Dyshir and I were all ensnared in thick vines that appeared out of nowhere. I struggled to move, but I was held to tightly to escape.

Relinda then walked slowly towards us, the High Mage staying back in his souel trance. At first Relinda approached Milo and walked really close to him.

"So, do you have to say for yourself now, hm?" Relinda asked in a sickly sweet tone, her voice much softer now. "You should have known better than to try to resist me," she said, while turning away. Just as she headed towards Dyshir and I, she swiped at Milo's face with her hand, the sound of her slap making me wince a little. Milo's expression showed his anger, but he chose to say nothing in response.

She came as close to me as she did Milo, and had something to say to me as well. "You...I remember you. Why are you here?" she asked me.

I was a little angry myself, but on the surface I remained composed. "I could ask the same to you, Relinda," I said to her in a perfectly calm voice. This only seemed to make her even more furious, though. She slapped me hard across the face as she did Milo.

"That is none of your business, child," she yelled as she continued to Dyshir. It was evident she enjoyed torturing us. As worried as I was about Dyshir, I thought of a plan.

I said quietly to the Aclian, "Milo, you have to signal Serobi to help us."

Milo nodded and I sensed his souel flowing again. Up above in the sky I saw a dark cloud form, and with a loud crash a bolt of lightning came down in the distance.

Relinda noticed right away and looked back at the High Mage. "Don't let him do anything like that again!" she yelled at him.

The cloaked Mage increased her souel output, and I saw Milo being gripped tighter in the vines, and he closed his eyes in pain. It was around this time that the guards began to get up and regrouped by the High Mage, all waiting in silence.

I was getting even more worried. I looked over at Dyshir to my right, who was next to Relinda. She spoke once again, "And you...You tried to stop me at Edimene as well. It was a foolish mistake on your part. I really can't have you all ruining my plans, so you can't be allowed to live."

Relinda pulled a silver dagger out of her robes and held it up to Dyshir's throat. At that moment when I saw Dyshir's face in intense worry and sorrow, something in me was evoked. I was surprised at myself really, I had only known Dyshir for days, but I cared for him a lot more than I expected. It was a new feeling to me; I never cared about anyone before that at the same level.

Without intending to, the muscles spasms began, and I felt the familiar power surging through me. Once in the wolf form, I broke free of the vines easily, and lunged at Relinda just before she brought the blade across Dyshir's neck. I had her pinned on the ground, and I was slashing at her torso with powerful claws.

I hardly did anything before Relinda's guards pulled me off, though. Before I even realized it, I was surrounded by nine men, all with swords pointed at me.

Just in time, I heard a familiar voice not too far away. "Stop!"

Up the ridge came Serobi and several other Aclians. He had a very serious expression. All of the guards and Relinda were still and turned their attention to the Aclian sage. I changed back into my normal guise.

"Milo, I cannot believe what you have done," he scolded the younger Aclian. "As for you," he said to Relinda, "Whatever it is you came here for, take it and leave in peace. We don't want to cause conflict."

Milo was squirming in the vines. "Serobi, no! You can't let her..."

"No, Milo, you have been foolish. Be quiet," the sage replied calmly.

Relinda stood saying nothing for a moment. "Very well. High Mage, let us go into the temple and retrieve the fragment," she said, walking into the temple of Jorra. Dyshir, Milo, and Zephyr were released from the vines as the Mage followed Relinda.

Everything was tense for the time that Relinda was in the interior of the temple. No one said anything. Once she came out, she marched ahead of the soldiers, and they all followed her down the mountain. Once they were out of earshot, Milo had something to say.

"Serobi, why did you let them go? You could have stopped them easily!" Milo said in frustration.

"No, they were far too strong," Serobi replied.

I had something to say as well, as I was shocked and a little annoyed at the outcome of the situation. "Still, Serobi, do you know what you have just done? Relinda is getting closer and closer to assembling a tool of great destruction, and you just helped her do it," I said, a little perturbed.

Serobi shook his head before saying to me, "I am fully aware of it, Noro, but it is better to let her win this battle and survive. Come back to my hut, we have much to discuss."

The sage walked away towards the village with the other Aclians while I stared at the back of his head flabbergasted. Still, I knew he had a point, so Dyshir, Milo, and I did as the sage instructed us.

[lonewolf]

Chapter XVII - The Sage Speaks


We followed all of the Aclians back to the village and entered Serobi's hut. Immediately, Serobi sat down and insisted us to do the same. His face was very serious, nothing like the calm expression he mantained yesterday.

He said very solemnly, "Recently, news reached me of the Tralbian Queen's pursuit of the staff of souel. How you managed to get knowledge of this information amazes me, as Queen Relinda is going great lengths to keep it secret. I've heard in Tralbia she destroyed books from the library said to contain any mention of it.

"I would also think you have a misconception on it's power. Relinda at this current time is strong enough to wipe you from existence easily. No one is in a position to be arguing with her."

"How can that be?" I asked. "She can't have the whole staff by now, can she? I thought she only had three pieces..."

"Yes, that much is true, but this material that the staff of souel is made out of has not been seen anywhere on this planet in thousands and thousands of years. It is very strange to say the least," Serobi replied to my question.

I thought back to seeing the piece in Lossine's temple myself. It looked just like other crystal I've seen, sometimes when we had festivals in Albaer there were travelers that brought souel-bound crystal objects, allowing them to channel souel without getting tired, allowing them to repeat the same channeling for hours at a time. These were simple ones, but in textbooks I've also heard of more complex ones that were bound with a lot more souel and capable of bringing raging thunderstorms upon a vast region, or lighting up a completely obscured tunnel to be as bright as day.

"It is not like the souel bound objects you're thinking of, Noro. This is a different material that will get unimaginably stronger as it absorbs more and more souel. At first, before it's complete, the staff should only be able to absorb souel when a bond released from a body when something dies or temporarily use your souel when you try to use it on Relinda," Serobi said.

Right away the thought was bothering me, did Serobi read my mind? I was too surprised to say anything, so I kept listening to what he had to say.

"When it is complete and has absorbed enough souel, the staff will permantly draw the souel out of anything else surrounding it, besides the user, of course. Just by walking through a city, she could extinquish every life there and absorb their souel effortlessly. The forest you see outside of this tent could just as eaily become a wasteland if she desired."

Milo decided to speak up obnoxiously. "So what are we going to do to stop her?" he said.

"We are going to see the Farethian King and tell him about Relinda so they can stop her before it's too late," Dyshir replied.

Serobi shook his head in response. "That would be pointless. You could never pursuade him to become the enemy of his own sibling. She has complete control over all of this region, it is said her brother is only king in name and has no power over Farethia because she threatened to destroy his kingdom a long time ago in secret and he relinquished his kingdom to her. For the most part Farethian citizens had no idea it even happened," he told us.

It wasn't very often I was actually angry, but Relinda's objectives made me feel that way. I knew the staff had to be destroyed somehow, but still it seemed almost impossible.

"So, how can the staff of souel be destroyed?" Milo asked the sage.

"That I do not know. However, across the ocean in the Gurinthian Isles are Phylos' greatest scientists, and they have theories on why the abundance of the material vanished all those years ago. Now that I think of it, they might have knowledge on your...other quest, Noro," Serobi replied.

I looked at Dyshir and said, "So, I guess we're going to the Gurinthian Isles, then."

"Before you do that," Serobi interupted, "I have a gift for you."

"What is it?" I asked. I had no idea what he would have of value except his knowledge which he already shared with me.

"Here, I have this ancient tome," Serobi said, reaching for a thick leather bound book behind him. He handed it to me, and right away I started skimming through the pages.

"Um...What does it say?" I asked him curiously. The book had faded writing in it, not to mention I had no idea what kind of writing that was.

"Unforunately the tome is in ancient Aclian language. That is why I think since Milo is capable of reading it, he travel with you. He is only fourteen years of age but his souel channeling is better than many adults in Aclia," the sage said to me.

Milo seemed happy. "I can't wait to find out how we can stop her!" he said. "I know how to live in nature, I know I'll be a great help."

"Wait a minute, what does it say?" I asked again, slightly irritated this time.

Serobi was completely serious still. "...Noro, can't you tell? This will tell you where the rest of the pieces of the staff are located across Phylos."

I was still skeptical of Serobi's ideas. "Yeah, but you said it yourself, we don't have a chance in defeating her. She is just too strong," I replied.

Serobi looked around the room at all of us. "Look beside you, Noro. As of now you are not powerful enough, but you do have the potential to destroy the staff. Souel flows strongly in each of you. Also remember, when you are in a dire situation, your souel can do incredible feats," he said, looking at me directly with his last sentence.

I found what Serobi had to tell me was quite encouraging. It seemed that if we did nothing, Relinda would succeed in her efforts to acquire the staff of souel. If we did have the power to prevent her from bringing destruction to not only Phylos, but this entire planet, why shouldn't we? I've always wanted to accomplish something meaningful, and this task was more than worthy.

"Thank you Serobi, I will do everything in my power to stop her," I said bravely. I even surprised myself with my own words. The feeling seemed to appear instantly.

Dyshir looked over at me, his eyes wide and full of worry. "Are you serious, Noro? Do you really think we can stop Relinda?" he asked.

"I'm at least going to try. What else have we to do? I've been disowned and you ran away from your home, we have no where to go," I said quietly.

Dyshir was silent a moment before saying, "Okay, I'll go with you, Noro. Just try not to get us killed, please."

It was clear what we had to do. There was no sense in waiting, so I said, "Then let's go. Relinda is constantly getting closer to all of the pieces, so we can't waste time."

Serobi stopped me before I got up. "It is alright, Noro. Stay tonight and we will prepare you with supplies by tomorrow morning," the sage said, his cheery attitude slowly returning.

I thought a moment about how I had spent nearly all of my gold and we had eaten all of our food. "Thank you very much, Serobi. We could use some supplies," I said.

Serobi smiled. "We will help you any we can. Please, go around the village and make yourselves at home while I prepare some things for you," he said, standing up and motioning us out the door.

"Oh, and Noro," the sage continued. "You two are welcome in Aclia whenever you decide to return. You will always find a home here."

It was relieving to me to hear that. I smiled as well and continued out of the hut with Dyshir and Milo.

[lonewolf]

Chapter XVIII - Something In The Air


The three of us were just standing outside of the hut for a while. I didn't think any of us knew where to go. There was still so much I wanted to learn about Aclia, the culture was fascinating. In particular I was interested in listening to more of their music. That is why I was so excited when Milo told us where to go.

"Come on, I think there will be another concert today," Milo said, leading us to the same structure where we listened to Serobi and the other Aclians play their instruments yesterday.

When we went inside, I saw there weren't nearly as many people crowding this place as yesterday. There was also no music playing. Something else new as well, the room had thick clouds of smoke drifting around and out the exit. What was burning I had no idea, but it smelled sweet and inviting.

"So what are we going to do here, Milo? There isn't any music playing," Dyshir said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Milo kept walking and sat down on the cushioned floor in the corner of the room nearest to the door. Zephyr flew off of his shoulder and started walking around the cushions as well. "Just sit down and relax!" Milo finally replied.

Dyshir and I both joined Milo on the floor. For a while we just sat there, observing the others in the building. I could feel every last one of them, all working together to channel souel. A group of Aclians next to us were sitting in a circle, all working their souel into growing a patch of flowers on the floor. I knew that making pseudo-life with souel was very difficult, which is why I was amazed the High Mage had the power to trap all of us at once.

The more time I spent observing this place, the more I came to liking it. For some reason I started to become much more relaxed, taking what I just agreed to do, chase a Queen to save the world, off of my mind. This brought me a lot of relief, it was driving me insane.

For a while neither Dyshir or Milo said anything. They must have been busy thinking or watching the others use souel. Finally, Milo broke the silence. "So, do you want to try it?"

Dyshir's expression displayed nervousness. "What is it, exactly? Does it hurt?" the healer inquired.

Milo raised his hand to his face in frustration briefly. "No, I'm talking about using our combined souel. Have either of you channeled this way before?" he asked us.

I remember reading about the powerful effects of multiplying the flows of souel in textbooks a long time ago. Obviously I never had the chance to try it, but it sounded intense. Using combined souel made amazing feats possible, but it also required a lot more concentration.

"I haven't, but I'm interested in trying," I replied eagerly.

Dyshir was much more hesitant than I was. "Well, I guess I'll try, too," he said with very little enthusiasm. "What are we going to do, then?" he asked Milo.

I felt Milo's souel flowing as he answered, "Just let it come naturally. Focus your souel in the center of us."

His instructions were vague and annoying, but I gave it my best. I went into a state of meditation, only concentrating on my breathing briefly before evoking my souel. However, this is where Milo's vague instructions caused difficulty.

Whenever you use souel in a flow, or a channeling, a pattern must be present mentally to shape it into one of the eight known schools of souel. This time, I did not think of a pattern to mold the souel into, I just tried to push it into the space in the center of us.

I realized that both Milo and Dyshir were doing the same, causing our souel to weave together. Slowly, I saw a faint cloud appear in between us. It is really hard to describe, it looked like it was glowing a faint blue and yet it did not emit light.

We were all still in meditation while the souel stayed suspended in front of us. "Now think of...fire!" Milo said excitedly.

After Milo's exclaimation, Zephyr chirped and repeated, "Fire!"

Since Milo said it I couldn't help but think of bright yellow flames, I felt the air heat up around me. The presence of our souel was changing. Suddenly, a burst of flames appeared, making me uncomfortably warm. Immediately I went to back away from the fire, but it was already gone.

Dyshir's eyes were wide with terror. After Milo glanced at Dyshir's expression, he pointed and laughed at the frightened healer. Dyshir's face slowly gained more color, becoming a bright red.

"That was not funny! I almost burnt myself!" the white haired coward complained, brushing imaginary dust off of his clothing.

I would have most likely laughed myself, but before I could, something else happened. I started to hear that beautiful sound in the background, the combination of various intruments into what Milo called music.

Right away my attention was completely focused on the soothing tones I heard playing. The cylinders were keeping a slow, simple beat, while the long pipe sang out many fast notes, constantly changing. It seemed mad to me at the time, but the exotic tones of the aclian concerts seemed to express emotion without saying anything at all.

My state of bliss was interrupted by none other than Milo. "I'll be right back," he said as he stood up and walked across the room to talk with some other people.

Looking at Dyshir, I could see that he was into the music as well. Realizing that I was looking at him, he snapped out of his daze and said softly, "Noro, do you like it here?"

I actually had to think about it for a moment. "Yes, actually I love it here. It's so serene up here, and this music...I would gladly sit here listening to it for the rest of my life."

Dyshir nodded and smiled before saying, "Yes, me too." There was a period of silence after that. I was thinking about what life would be like here, and I'm sure Dyshir was as well. It did seem very alluring, it was like paradise. A warm and secluded place of ultimate happiness on top of a mountain. Dyshir practically didn't have a home now as well, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask him if he would live here.

"So, after this is all over, we would all come back here to live? Would you be happy here for the rest of your life?" I asked.

Dyshir's response was nearly immediate, "It is a little strange, but it is peaceful. I guess I would live here." He wasn't very enthusiastic about it, but it also seemed like he still would.

I noticed he was a little twitchy. Being scared of what was ahead was natural, I was frightened as well, but it was still important to console him. "How are you feeling about this whole adventure? I get the impression that you are still a little nervous."

"Well, Relinda...she terrifies me!" Dyshir responded in a frightened whimper. I felt like laughing, but I refrained from it.

That was when another figure approached us. Looking up more closely it's face I noticed it was a beautiful, young Aclian girl, probably about Milo's age. She softly giggled and held her feathered hand out to the red-faced healer.

"Do you want to dance with me?" the Aclian asked sweetly. It took a while for Dyshir to answer, it's obvious he is quite the shy one.

"Uh, sure...I'll dance," he said in an almost inaudible whisper. The Aclian youth must have heard it, though, because Dyshir was pulled up by her and brought across the room. Now I couldn't help but laugh as I watched the twitchy boy stumble and trip while the girl attempted to teach him how to dance.

[armoredamphibian]

I haven't replied for a while. Nice work, the details are quite good. And I still love the Milo.