Aveyond: Rhen's Quest

Chapter 18: Lowlands

They spent a night in Veldarah before sailing to Western Isle, where rumour said that a daeva resided there. During the voyage, Dameon and Elini watched as Rhen and Lars were training their skills on each other. Having a fight with Lars was a dream come true ever since she's studying in Shadwood Academy.

"Boot Slappin Mara!" Rhen threw her sword into midair. It disappeared and appeared behind Lars' back. But Lars managed to counter the sword screaming after him in the nick of time with his Wind Whip Spell.

"You can't finish me off that easily with those lousy skills learnt from Shadwood," snorted Lars. Rhen scowled at him. "Let's see if you can dodge this."

He raised his right arm and waved in circles. Gust appeared and soon a tiny tornado emerged in from him. He motioned his arm to Rhen's direction and the tornado moved in speed.

"Woodland Dance!" she danced gracefully with the humming rhythm of her sword. She twisted and turned swiftly, successfully dodging the upcoming tornado and ran towards Lars. Before he could react, Rhen landed a punch on his stomach. He lost his balance and fell into a pile of rotten anchovies.

"It's not finished yet," Lars got to his feet. He wiped Rhen's smirk with a counter spell.

"Moteramo Zechas Hexo!" Magic bolt shot from the tip of his staff and hit squarely onto Rhen's chest. Seconds passed and Rhen remained unchanged.

"What's the matter, Lars? Is this the best you can do?" Rhen laughed.

"You'll see..." Lars checked the time. "The effect should be start right...now."

Just as he finished the last word, Rhen started to shrink as tiny as a dwarf. Her legs became thinner and wings replaced her arms. Her mouth transformed into a yellow beak. The party couldn't help themselves but laughing at her new form.

"Too bad I promised not to eat you guys," Te'ijal chuckled. "Or else, you're gonna be a tasty roasted chicken as my main dish."

They laughed louder when Rhen-the-chicken walking around the ship, flapping her wings and clucking non-stop.

"Okay, that's enough," said Dameon, who stopped laughing. He reversed the Chicken Curse and soon Rhen was back to her human self.

"You're gonna pay for this Lars!" Rhen stomped over the deck towards her opponent, who was rolling on the deck laughing his head off. Before Rhen could gave him a strike, and before Lars could hex her again, Dameon ceased the fire.

"Silence Extora!" Dameon shook his head. "That's all for today, we'll continue next time." Rhen crossed her arms and scowled while Lars stuck out his tongue to her. He poked Rhen with his staff and both of them were running around the ship like the scene when Tom the cat is chasing Jerry the mouse.

"Children," Te'ijal muttered under her breath.

They stopped chasing as a wyvern emerged from the cloud sea above and perched on Elini's arm. She fed it and patted its head. The wyvern squarked and she nodded.

"We're almost reach the shore," announced the summoner."The land is a mile away."

"Oh finally, I'm sick of the rancid smell here," Te'ijal mumbled while examining a empty soul pendant which she bought in Veldarah. "I must find a soul worth enslaving."

~~~

They walked across a golden-yellow landscape. Grass struggled to survive in the unfavorable climate, falling leaves paved along the dirt path as they threaded along. The weather was so dry that even the wind refused to blow some cool breeze over this stuffy land.