Youngwood City
Arlon
The following day
Today's agenda is to consult with Abigail. I geared up and headed outside, discovering a fine note plucked in the door.
Dear Arlon,
What is sleep? I exerted dusk till dawn, contrary to that, I've come up with a reasonable conclusion about your journey. Come over my laboratory all geared up and I'll give you a spectacular surprise.
Your smart and beautiful friend,
Abigail Toval
This letter held me caprice. What could she have possibly thought of? As I made my way to the Toval Laboratory, I had all of my equipment with me.
I walked towards the laboratory door, and Abigail opened it. Her emotions appear totally opposite from yesterday.
"Just in time!" she said excitingly. "Hastily come."
The laboratory looked really messy, as scraps lied down on the floor. Abigail surely worked on something persistently. With a seemingly exciting mood, she exposes me a huge smile, takes my hand, and shows a stool to me, covered in cloth, as what I am expecting.
"As you may know Arlon," she said. "I recalled the prophecy Larbistoc foresaw. He mentioned an orphan discerned as Ral the Wanderer is destined to win the lightning rod. By analyzing your life and the predictions of the prophet, I could conclude that it's a foolproof match. Your name is Raye Arlon Logger, you began as an orphan, and lastly, you love exploring. I can say we shall take the risk!"
"That's great, but what is that?" I curiously asked while staring at the stool covered in cloth.
"Essential gear for your expedition," she replied. "No one has ever told a truthful depiction of the perils down that fissure. I accumulated information, and discovered heavy static is felt as you approach closer to the Lightning Rod. That's why I invented this masterpiece, behold..."
She takes a deep breath and pulls off the cloth.
"The rubber cloak!" she continued. "Cover yourself with this, and almost any kind of voltage struck at you will be insulated. It also accretions your resistance against static. I know the rubber is sort of burly, but it is the best way to be tailored. Come, put it on."
I took off my armor and equipped the insulator. I can still move freely and maintain my dexterity, yet this is uncomfortably new.
"Now strike me with lightning," I said. "How are we going to find out this works?"
"My father is a wizard," she replied. "Every soldier was taught storm magic for the sake of military power. Let's visit him at the army camp. Quite a journey we'll take, and we shall use my family's carriage."
Wartha City
An hour later
Wartha City, the center of military power of Ethaendra. It is coastal, and heavily bulwarked, considering it is the frontmost line of defense. This explains the competence of the navy. A lot of pirates once wished to conquer Ethaendra, barely succeeded as none were able to survive the arcane bombardment.
Ethaendran Warships are currently the superior naval vessels in the world. Two decks of broadside cannons are magically enchanted with sparks, and the poor victim ship barraged with dozens of sparkling cannonballs would electrocute everything in the electronic blast.
The sails are fireproof, and the hull is finely constructed out of wood, coated with heavy steel. It would take a lot of sheer force and tactics in order to take down an Ethaendran Warship. Only 3 among hundreds of heroic warships were sunk throughout time.
So far in history, no attacker had the naval power to penetrate Ethaendra's first line of defense, yet this offers no intimidation to the Goblin Kingdom. Their technology exceeds far more than any civilization in the world, and their unknown weapons have an unspeakable potential of overpowering the navy and besieging Wartha City, leading an open door for an overall conquest against Ethaendra.
As Abigail and I entered the city, strange sights are noticed. Much like Youngwood, everyone is expected to be armed. This turns me nervous that everyone thinks this is normal, or is it?
"I am tingling," I said to Abigail. "Everyone in Ethaendra is carrying a weapon, and the food supply prices are quite unaffordable."
"Kind of disturbs me too," she replied. "Just avoid trouble, and it's all good. Forget thy anxiety, eye for an eye. Citizens are continuously afraid of doing wrong things, as serious consequences follow when faced to the King's Wrath. These weapons are probably for self defense whenever the goblins get past Wartha City."
Camp Wartha
Camp Wartha, the training ground where Ethaendra's greatest arcanists and warriors are formed. There, I met Archmage Benedict Toval, Abigail's father, a familiar face I've seen dating back to my childhood, when I first became friends with Abigail.
"My father is now the archmage," Abigail told me. "You both haven't met for years since he rose to power."
"I am nervous," I replied. "Your father has changed a lot, and look at him, casting lightning bolts and fireballs using his two hands. He has my uttermost respect."
Archmage Toval was casting his chain lightning spell, attempting to accurately bounce off the lightning bolts from the targets. His look was priceless upon meeting Abigail and I.
"Ah," he said in grace. "My beautiful lass! An'.... Who may be that handsome lad with ya wearing that ridiculous cloak?"
He chuckles
"We haven't met in a long time sir!" I greeted him. "If you may have forgotten, I am Arlon, your daughter's companion."
"Arlon!" he replied in surprise. "Aye, I can barely recall. Studyin' these spells had me lose a portion of my memory. What brings ya twain here?"
"About that rubber cloak father," Abigail explained. "Arlon desires to find out the capabilities of the cloak, and I can trust you to show him."
"Sir," I said. "We can simply start by having you hit me with a few sparks."
"Abigail," he said. "Ya guarantee this? Mine lightning powers are no joke."
"Trust me father," she said confidently. "I tinkered that cloak accurately. I just could not find a source of shock magic to test it out, so here we are."
"Aye then," he said. "Find out, shall we?"
I stood out in the open. This activity drew the attention of nearby soldiers. They were filled with curiosity. Archmage Toval prepared his basic attack, the spark spell. As he charged the bolt, blue light emanated from his magical hands.
"Gods guide you young lad," he mockingly said.
I was flustered. Abigail was spectating with a confident smile, not even expecting a fallacious result. I cannot even understand my emotions. The rest of the soldiers were feeling the suspense of the show.
Archmage Toval raised up his hands, and then swiftly pointed them at me. A spark emitted from from his fingers and struck my cloak. I had my eyes closed for the duration of the attack. Nothing happened. As I opened my eyes, everyone was looking at me astonished.
"Success!" Abigail cheered. "Father, cast a stronger spell!"
"This is impressive, lass." said Archmage Toval. "Yet tis barely a voltage. Let us see how it insulates a lightnin' bolt."
The next spell to be cast against me is definitely fatal, although I am confident. I can definitely survive this!
"Is that it sir?" I shouted. "This rubber cloak is not ridiculous after all!"
Archmage Toval placed his hands together, and sparks emanated as he slowly dragged them away from each other. A ball of lightning spawned between his jittering hands. He carefully lifted it up, increasing in luminosity as the ball charges. Upon swinging his arms, a powerful bolt struck me. I was knocked away off of my feet, yet I felt no voltage at all.
"Impossible," said Archmage Toval. "That attack could have ended yar life or paralyzed you, an' you consider that void?"
"Your daughter is intuitive," I said. "She tailored this cloak for my quest on the lightning rod."
"Lightnin' rod aye?" He asked. "Tis but a legend told on a long era ago. It is what every aspiring mage wants, yet ain't anyone acquiring it except the destined one."
"Thanks for helping us test out the armor, father." said Abigail. "We have to visit the Valley of the Storm."
"Hold on lass," said Archmage Toval. "B'cos of this incoming goblin assault, Ethaendra requires a champion. Arlon has our aid. The lad cannot just go an' get that scepter fancying a cloak, holdin' an iron sword and a wooden bow. Let the boy come inside the armory, I'll arm him with the best weapons and armor I can offer."
I was introduced to the Warthan armory, a place a warrior in training can translate to as heaven. It is indeed satisfying to look at all these swords and armor perfectly aligned across varnished wooden walls.
"Pick a weapon," insisted Archmage Toval. "Replace that filthy sword and bow with anything ya like here."
I am dumbfounded by these equipment. With the freedom bestowed upon by the archmage, I chose a small cutlass and an iron bow, and replaced my wooden arrows with silver ones. I chose the lightest armor I can equip, so I won't have to be over encumbered.
I am fully equipped. Anyone who dares to come in my way will face the power of my brand new weapons, and little they would deal damage, as well as dismembering limb from limb when sliced with my sword. My rubber cloak is enough to protect me from any kind of shock or static.
Archmage Toval, Abigail, and I boarded the family carriage, and the archmage spoke some words of farewell to his soldiers.
"Warriors and mages," he claimed and pointed at me. "This young lad will become the destined champion of Ethaendra. Wish us luck!"
"OOH HA!" cried the soldiers
Our journey is set to Verdant Creek.
Verdant Creek
Valley of the Storm
Afternoon
The place isn't what it seems to look like based on its name. As Abigail mentioned, the creek is completely dull, and plant life became extinct. What can be stepped on was a massive yet shallow, dried up area of mud filled with cracks due to the heat of the scorching sunlight.
Animal and human skeletons can be found slightly buried within the creek. A bunch of broken twigs, wooden boards, and rotten leaves scatter around. All I could sense here was the dread and mysterious feeling driven to me by this sad, lonely area that once was a tranquil and jolly home for many creatures, and possibly villagers.
Archmage Toval seems sad, somehow reminiscing something in this place.
"What's the matter sir?" I asked.
"I remember my dark childhood here," said Archmage Toval. "Before anyone no longer visits here, there was a village around this creek in the past. Mine family used to live here in serenity, until an outbreak of sparkbats dispersed. For sure they originated underground, 'cause they emit light. Tis but a defenseless village, and there ain't a way to combat a swarm of bats that emit voltage.
Some families who have carriages, including mine, were able to escape. Disturbing, it is, watching the helpless people struggling to fend off the sparkbats using their spears and swords, yet hopeless. Indeed, t'was traumatically horrifying to watch the villagers have their bodies shocked, burned, and disintegrated by countless sparkbats while they fight for their lives.
As my family and I escaped through a carriage, a small number of sparkbats chased us. My forebearer, a very skilled warrior, successfully fended off these pests. However, a lone sparkbat broke inside the carriage and crunched my chest with its electrifying fangs. The bite shocked my whole body, and left a static inside. I became paralyzed and unconscious for days.
Tis a fatal bite, yet I am purely lucky to survive it. All that lingered from the tragedy was the static left, but tis considered a gift! The electricity sparking through my body can be commanded at will. Due to this unique power, I have grown shock resistance.
To further nourish my abilities, I joined the arcane military at a fledgling age. I kept on training and serving the land, and eventually acquired sufficient power to be honored as an archmage."
That explains his great ability on storm magic.
"You mentioned something about the sparkbat origins," I asked. "Do you exactly mean they came from the underground?"
"Potentially," he replied. "I do recall they came somewhere not far from here. That direction, I can say."
He points to the plains near a mountain. We headed to the location we believe the fissure has formed. Upon arrival, we dismounted as soon as we can. This fissure displays no resemblance to what I anticipated....