Connor Evans and The Binding Scrolls

Unfortunate

"Stephanie, my hands feel stuck."

I complained, for maybe the fifth or sixth time now.

Stephanie hadn't found the onyx, obsidian thing she was looking for. It's called a Life Stone, but the proper name for it is a Vitae. Apparently it's the bi-product of possession, meant to be the culmination of the essence that invaded your mind and body.

I was waiting for her to find the stone, do the portal thing and maybe jump us to a bathroom so I could wash off the remnants of the Belu, that was now turning into a very thick and very sticky glue-like substance. I was just whining now, but I worried it would turn into tar or stain my hands. Or, you know, worse.

"You'll be fine," she said, also for the fifth or sixth time now. "I'll find the stone, jump us to somewhere nice and we sleep, sound good?"

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. Rather bored, I took to just teasing her, maybe it would slow down the process but I mean, I was really, really bored.

"You're actually such a baby," she turned back to me, giving me a wry smile that indicated she too was about to tease me. "You just killed an otherworldly monster from a time you don't know, in preparation to face Ancient Evils and save the world, but the biggest thing on your mind right now is... sticky hands."

"Yes."

"Oh my... okay," she pulled herself up from the kneeling position on the ground, little pieces of shattered Belu twinkling off of her jeans and falling on the ground like abyssal starlight. 

"Just let me help you look for it," I pleaded, but Stephanie shook her head.

"No, you don't know what you're looking for, and your hands are sticky."

I gasped, feigning offence, "excuse me, Stephanie, my hands are perfectly fine!" I said, reaching out my arms above my head-

Oh wait. Nope, they're stuck to my shirt... because they are sticky...

She raised an eyebrow, shooting me a wry smile as she mimicked my own crossed arms.

"Nice one, hero."

"So now can you jump me to a bathroom?"

"No," she said plainly, turning around to continue her search.

I rolled my eyes, going from sitting on the roadside to lying down with my back flat against the cold tar. I noticed how beautiful the sky was, without light pollution the entire road was illuminated by the full moon and glistening stars. I looked to my side, out onto the plains that I soon discovered was actually light bush-land, figures of scrawny trees dotted the flat horizon with the creeping shadows of long, dead grass crawling along the dusted earth like ghosts from a time so distant from now.

"Outback's pretty, huh." Stephanie said idly. I pulled up my head, pressing my chin against my chest as I furrowed my brow.

"Outback? Are we in Australia?"

"Mmh, Northern Queensland."

"You can jump that far?"

"Pshh, I can jump anywhere, Connor. Going places is like, my whole thing. You know?"

I laid back down. I wasn't overcome with the same sensations I had felt when I first had to experience all of this, it wasn't threatening or daunting that she could simply throw us to the other side of the world. It was, fascinating. The feeling was alike to discovering something pleasant, like birds being smart enough to have meaningful friendships or something.