Stories of Stardust (pt2)

211. Zenith Online Chapter 57 - Roc and Rook (1)

Setare's massive black ears swiveled as her head jerked up, and she lowered into a crouch, a deep growl escaping her mouth. Water splashed against my face as I dropped to the ground on instinct, smacking my palms and forearms against the water-covered floor as I'd been trained to dissipate the force of the impact. Through the water draining off my face, I could see the shadow of the rook as it swung around, flapping its wings with enough force to disturb the water near me, sending it arcing up to my forehead.

As I braced for the impact, I dipped my head down, lifting it once the water had passed to meet Setare's too-close eyes. The tiny golden flakes of stardust in her eyes were as beautiful and breathtaking as they had been the first time. They shone even brighter as the magnet pulling us together doubled in force. As I rose, I pulled one of the gems we used to store fragments from my inventory.

We stood face to face, and even through the transformation spell, I could read her expression as easily as I felt my own. Something about how she looked at me–the slight tilt of the head, perhaps, or her willingness to trust me–mixed with logic suggested that the dreams I thought I'd shared with Shahrazad had been shared with Setare. Some of the knowledge, perhaps, as well.

She moved her head forward slightly, glancing from the gem to my face a few times as if to ask, 'Will this work?'

Reluctance, too, was written all over her face. Recalling how it had felt when the fragment had joined her, the warmth flooding her veins, how easily it had settled into her skin, filling a void she hadn't ever noticed was empty, I couldn't blame her.

But..."She won't be safe in there forever."

There was another loud screech from the giant bird, and the floor shook as it was knocked to the ground.

'Duh,' Setare's returning glare seemed to say.

Removing the fragment was both easier and harder this time. The tugging sensation that had been grown as Setare and I drew closer was easy to follow and even easier to pull on now that I knew how to do it properly. I pulled and pulled and pulled as tiny golden flakes sparked to life on her midnight-black fur, lifting in the air to whirl and hover above my hands.

For a second, the cavern around me transformed into the library once more before the dream melted away.

The hard part was keeping the fragment in the gem.

Before I could stop them, the golden flakes hovering above my hands dipped down and vanished, sinking into my skin and shooting a pleasant warmth through my body as they had Setare's in my dream earlier. So similar they were to the magic that roared within me that I would have lost them if I hadn't panicked and forced the sparks back out.

As the sparks drained away, they took the warmth with them, leaving me feeling cold and miserable. Still, I didn't stop until every last tiny piece of stardust I'd gathered was cradled inside the glimmering gem, tucked safely away into my inventory.

Setare looked at me, her eyes heavy with an expression I couldn't read.

There was another loud screech, and the rook dropped out of the sky, smacking hard into the water with a splash that drenched both me and Setare, gathering our attention. A massive black shafted arrow stuck out of its chest, which heaved up twice more before stilling. It melted into darkness, then vanished, defeated.

[You have defeated one of the two rooks!]

Eliza, Sinbad, and Cove cheered. "We did it!"

"That was a rookie mistake!"

I turned to look at them, clasping each other's backs with bright, proud smiles on their faces as they shifted to glance at me and Setare.

"Did you get the fragment?" Cove called, worry falling over his face.

In lieu of shouting at them, I gave him a thumbs up.

"Do we need to help with that?" Eliza questioned, gesturing to Setare, who snarled.

I shook my head.

She mumbled something, not quite loud enough for me to hear, but I knew enough about her personality to read her lips as she said, "If ya say so," a doubtful look on her face.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, instead glancing at the timer; five minutes remained. I waved them over, an awkward silence falling over us as Setare and Eliza eyed each other with distrust.

Finally, vision went dark as black smoke exploded around Setare, as the time for the transformation spell expired. I waited with bated breath as it dissipated, suddenly nervous and worried my plan would not work after all.

It dissipated, leaving a short, late-teens to mid-twenties girl with curious brown eyes and dark brown hair on all fours dressed in a dirtied brown tunic with black pants glaring distrustfully at Eliza. She startled, leaning back on her feet to lift her arms out of the water, rotating them, and flexing her fingers, testing they were really there.

[Congratulations! You have solved the puzzle and saved Setare!]

Rewards began pouring in through the system, bringing my total amount of money up enough to let me purchase whatever I wanted from the market. I already had plans on how to spend it.

Setare laughed, a broken, hysterical sound. Her eyes shimmered, but she refused to let the tears fall. "I want to go home," she said, moving to stare at me. I tossed an arm helplessly in Sinbad's direction. It was his ship and his crew she'd have to convince, not me.

Sinbad smiled reassuringly, "I think we can manage," he said.

Setare sniffled. "Thank you," she said, her voice wavering.