Five. He was in the fifth Entral. Finally.
Max walked across the bridge, ignoring the great falls that rushed below him. The harsh sunlight sparkled off the crystal water and shimmered through the air. The day was beautiful. He wasn't in the mood.
The last Entral he had been in had been populated, bustling with activity. They had been a strange race with gray skin and wicked spiked hair. But they were nice to him, giving him food and supplies. They had been advanced, with weapons and housing alike Alerdreamia. But now they were behind him. Even Tominka.
Tominka was a street urchin in the city of Bagdanstin, a Gardvian city. He had met him when he had been wondering the streets for lodging and he had taken him under his wing. Or rather, Tominka had taken him under his wing. He was a chattering fellow, and was fourteen; he reminded Max of Cooper in some ways. Tominka had showed Max the city, showing him vending stalls that sold weapons and clothing and parks with fountains that spewed colors as various as you could imagine. Tominka was ecstatic when Max bought him a whole box of a Gardvian delicacy, Monjvas, a sort of cake pastry with a cream foam on top. He had savored them for hours; it was a fond memory.
After about a week of living in Bagdanstin with Tominka, he had found the Ring in a feild far to the west while exploring with Tominka. He had already explained his quest to the Gardvian, but leaving had been so hard. Tominka had pleaded to go with Max, having nowhere to go, but Max felt he'd be dooming him to death if he had taken him on such a dangerous adventure. Now he regretted his choice to leave him.
He stepped off the bridge and continued to walk, ignoring the beauty of the nature around him. He just wanted to be through with the Entrals; he was tired of being lonely.
The brush to his right rustled and he was tackled off his feet, his feet striking out and clipping a form.
He was slammed to the ground and he felt talons scrambling in top of him. Flailing, he kicked the figure hard. With a yelp, it froze for a moment, wings held still. Max let his aura bloom around him "Ignis folliculos germinaret!" A fire bloomed upwards, exploding around himself and the creature. Max gritted his teeth, altering the fire so that it didn't torch him but stung instead. With another yelp, this time one of pained agony, the creature rolled off of him.
It was a harpy. Her head was wrinkly and pale and her eyes starving black beads. Her talons clawed at the ground in wait and her gray wings, now ruffled and burnt, were spread low with her arms.
She flung herself at him, her claws slicing through the air. Max, still with his back on the ground, kicked up, both his boot-clad feet sinking into her stomach, shooting her upwards. As she tried to realign herself for another attack, Max got to his feet and let the heat spark into a flame in his hand. He flung the fireball at the harpy. It's wings caught like paper and it screeched as the fire burned bright, spreading across it's body. As the flames died, so did it.
Max walked forward slowly, making sure it was truly dead. When it didn't move, he stepped over it's crumpled form, walking onward into the seemingly peaceful paradise.
The trees were all the same medium sized type, the wood dotted with vibrant green moss. The basses were surrounded by flowers, green, red, even a violet with small ruby dashes. The place was truly wondrous, but Max knew better, the harpy was proof that looks could be deceiving. He would bet on his life that the moss was poisonous.
He missed Gardvia.
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DragonDog1: Max journeys through the fifth Entral, now more than halfway through Redemptio. Fate holds store for him and all involved. Till then, comment and vote if you enjoyed. Your opinions matter to me greatly. Thank you!