This chapter May by updated with more content in the future, but Mini4slayer , whom I put in charge of editing this chapter, currently doesn't have internet where she lives.
I hope you enjoy anyways!
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Mia's point of view-
I woke up in Drake's study, my body warm from the covers, but my revealed skin was cold from the overnight weather. I sat up, stretching my arms and yawning as the white covers fell down to my waist. My stomach growled. I looked out of the glassless window, seeing that the sun was well above the horizon. I had slept in quite late. I guess I expected Drake to come wake me like yesterday, but of course, he didn't. Perhaps it was because I told him that it bothered me yesterday. Then again, I probably would have starting complaining again if he did wake me today. I rubbed my hands together and stood up, grabbing the blankets and throwing them off of me. The joints in my legs popped as I stretched them and stood.
"Breakfast time!"
I got on my knees onto the cold stone floor, and opened my backpack. I searched through, finding an shinning red apple I had found yesterday on our way to that camp site. Drake put a preservative spell on it so it wouldn't rot before I had the chance to eat it. Magic is so fascinating. I took a bite and savered the taste as I chewed.
I opened my backpack up, and pulled out my green cape. I put it on, hoping that it would warm me up. Standing back up, I grabbed my backpack, swallowing the piece. Maybe he's talking care of Grayson? I shrugged. I walked up to the door, and opened it to leave.
"Vines! He really needs to take care of that." I said, batting away the vines as I walked through them.
I really did enjoy being there. Having a bed I was comfortable in. An atmosphere that I wasn't scared of. People I trusted. I felt welcomed and accepted for who I am, not just because of my gender. It's awful trying to get a place to sleep, and either having to sleep outside in the cold, or in a place filled with sexual predators. The place where I met Drake and Grayson was the only local place I was alright with staying, but the people there still made me feel uncomfortable.
I took another bite of the apple, then put it back into my backpack, hoping that the spell Drake put on it wouldn't ware out. I turned to corner, into the room where the boys had slept. I saw Drake's nearly unmoving form sitting at the glassless window. His back and feet pressed against the sides of the hollow wall, keeping him from falling. His eyes were closed, and his head was tilted to the right. He looked asleep, but he had bags under his eyes as if he didn't get a good night's rest.
I looked over to the bed where Grayson still slept soundly. His shirt and jacket were back on, and his hat and cape were on the cabinet where I had left them last night. I looked back at the hybrid and walked closer.
"Drake?" I whispered, trying to wake him incase he was asleep, and trying not to wake Grayson.
He shifted his head upright and opened his eyes, seeming tired. "Hmmm?" He hummed.
"Um, good morning! Did I wake you up?"
He shook his head. "No, but I was starting to fall asleep. Grayson and I didn't really sleep that well."
I tilted my head. "Well, I know you have nightmares keeping you up, but what about Grayson?"
"I kept waking him up by accident. I feel bad about it."
"So you were talking in your sleep or something?" I asked.
He shook his head slightly. "He woke me up a few times last night." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "He told me I was mumbling and, just freaking out in my sleep. It's a little embarrassing." His human cheek turned red through his pale skin.
I heard a loud yawn. Our heads moved to face the bed, where Grayson sat up and stretched out his arms. He, too, had bags under his eyes that weren't there the day before.
"Morning, Grayson." Drake said, his voice unintentionally low in tone.
He rubbed his eyes and yawned "Good morning. Ready to get the day started?"
"I'm so ready!" I said, then looked down at Drake.
He looked out of the window, and seemed to hesitate in answering. "Yeah. I guess we could plan on what we're doing exactly."
He stood up, and cracked his spine. It still surprised me with how tall he was. It was strange seeing him sitting down, seemingly average in height, then seeing him stand and getting towered over by him.
Grayson got out of the bed, then got down on his knees and searched through his bag. He pulled out a small sack, and opened it, then pulled out a raisin cookie. He bit into it, quite loudly.
"Really? A cookie for breakfast?" I said, knowing that a simple cookie wouldn't fill his stomach.
"What?" He said. His mouth still full. "Cookies are delicious!" He swallowed the bite, then stuffed the rest in his mouth.
Drake chuckled at this as Grayson closed the small sack and placed it back into the bag.
"So, anyways..." Drake said, but was again interrupted.
"Yeah. I have the map here." He pulled a rolled up piece of paper from the satchel and unrolled it. Drake and I got close to see the old map.
It had large walls and and many small buildings from a bird's eye view. Beyond the walls was a path leading off of the bottom of the map and pictures of plant life.
"Is..is that the entrance to the empire?" I asked. I know that place all too well, and I know he does too.
Grayson nodded. "Yeah. It is exactly that. When I took this from the magic library, it was a picture of where I could hatch the dragon egg, but it changed. I'm positive that this is another enchanted map. Just like the one that got us to the magic library."
"That's amazing." Drake said. I didn't know if it was the changing map, or the picture of the empire. I don't think he's ever been there.
He spoke again. "Wait. How are we going to get an airship? I've heard that ever since we stole that one, they've had restrictions. They're heavily guarded now, and they can't be left in camps for long anymore. They're only allowed in empire territory."
Grayson looked down and sighed. "You're right. That means we have to get past the Red keep in order to get to empire territory."
My eyes widened. No. I don't want to go to that place. They put men, women and children to agonizing work as slaves. I've heard that the cultists that took it over even go as low as raping the woman.
"No! I refuse to go to that h**l hole! I don't want to be a slave in any way. Women are rare! Do you know what happens to women in those places?"
Grayson rolled up the map, and looked into my eyes. "Don't worry about it Mia. We won't go into the Red keep. We can go around it. I wasn't planning on going into that horrible place anyways. That place used to be nice, but they've turned it wicked."
I sighed in relief. Good. Now all I have to worry about the journey around that place. Grayson turned around, and put the map away. I heard a soft groan, and looked up at Drake, who was rubbing his head.
"Do you have a headache again?" I asked.
He nodded and sat down on the bed, closing his right eye in pain. "Yeah. Just a bit."
Grayson turned back around as his put his own backpack on, and upon seeing Drake in pain, he gave a look of concern.
"Drake?" He asked. "Are you alright?"
Drake answered him. "I'm fine. I'm just a little sick, that's all. Probably from being out in the rain yesterday."
"Sick from the rain?" Grayson questioned. "Don't you have a strong immune system? I mean, you've been poisoned twice, and didn't die! I hardly believe that a little rain made you sick."
Drake shook his head. "It's probably not just the rain. I don't know what it could be."
I asked him, "Are you sure we could head out today if you're feeling like this, Drake?"
Drake stood up, and walked around me, heading to his backpack on his altar.
"Yes. I'm not going to let a little headache and a couple burning spots stop me. Just let me get ready and we'll get going."
He made his way to the secret button on the wall. He pushed it down and opened the secret door. I remembered what he had told me the other day.
"Are you going to show me some magic stuff? Please!"
"Alright. Come on." He gestured for me to follow him.
Grayson and I both followed him around to the opened secret, and went inside, each of us going down the ladder one at a time. Grayson closed the door behind us as I began to climb down. It was cold down there. Even our breath was visible and my arms became covered in goosebumps.
"It's cold down here!"
Drake shrugged. He didn't seem bothered by it, in fact, he seemed to kind of welcome the cool air.
"Yeah. Stone walls aren't exactly a good material to trap warmth."
He opened the door to the room with the diamond and magic items. Grayson and I followed him inside.
"Do you still have the diamond in there?" Grayson asked, walking closer to the titanium box.
In an unexpected instant, Drake suddenly snapped.
"Get away from it!" He shouted, aggressively. That wasn't like him at all.
Grayson and I both jumped from the sudden outburst. Both of us in shock.
"Did you just yell at me?" Grayson said, now becoming agitated with his friend.
Drake seemed to get a look of regret on his facial expression. He took a step back and looked down, avoiding eye contact with us.
"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me."
Grayson said to him, with a slight growl in his throat, "Well, control your emotions. I didn't do anything wrong."
"I know. I'm sorry! But, yes, the diamond is still in there."
There was silence for a few minutes. We all tried to wait for the awkward tension to dissipate, but the silence only made it worse. I felt like I was stuck between something I shouldn't have been. I felt weird, but concerned. Drake never raised his voice like that. He didn't do that when I got that close the other day. Is stress getting to his head?
"Why do you still have it? You know, if Herobrine's gone?" Grayson finally broke the silence, calming down.
Drake growled, and put his hand on his head. I could actually see his eyes tearing up.
"I-I don't know. I just...kept it. Just incase. It's like I told Mia the other day, if there are still two diamonds left, then, can it be possible that he is still around?"
Grayson nodded. "You have a good point."
He seemed bothered by the possibility that the demon was still around. He looked up at Drake, opening his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. He turned away from him.
"Um... Are we still gonna look at those potions, and books, and stuff?" I finally brought myself to ask the Mage.
"Oh, right! I'm sorry Mia. I'll show you everything on these shelves." He turned and began to walked to the shelves behind him.
I speed walked to him, as he took me to the other side of the room, and told me about all of the magnificent things that he had on the shelves. The whole incident seemed to slip my mind.
Grayson's point of view-
"I-I don't know. I just...kept it. Just incase. It's like I told Mia the other day, if there are still two diamonds left, then, can it be possible that he is still around?" Drake said.
What he said did make sense. "You have a good point."
There are still two diamonds left. Or was one destroyed in the lava at the magic library? I don't know, but can Herobrine still be around? There hasn't been any attacks from him reported since we left the magic library, though. I looked up at Drake, looking into his eyes, then I looked into only one. His white eye. Is he permanently blind in that eye, or...is what he's saying true?
I opened my mouth to ask about his eye, but I bit my tongue and turned away. Like he would really know why it's still white.
"Um... Are we still gonna look at those potions, and books, and stuff?" Mia asked him.
Drake apologized and took her to show her his things. I'm glad she distracted him from what happened earlier. I didn't know what could have caused him to snap like that, but he better not do it again without a good explanation.
My arm itched. I rose up my hand to scratch it, but I felt great pain. I forgot about the stitches. I pulled down my jacket a bit to see if the sleeve of my shirt was getting covered in blood.
"It's fine. Don't forget about that again, Grayson." I whispered to myself, pulling my jacket back up over my shoulder. The itch was still there, getting on my nerves, but after a few minutes, it disappeared.
I looked back up in the direction of my friends. They smiled, and seemed happy. As Drake told Mia about some of the items, he put a couple in his backpack, preparing for us to leave on our journey. The more I focused on them, the more I saw them shake. It was incredibly cold down here, but Drake was worrying me.
His human skin was a bluish pale, but his cheeks, nose, and ear were red. It seemed natural for this cool temperature, but something about it bothered me. It was even worse that we were down here in the cold, when Drake was already sick. Drake grabbed a couple of potions, talismans, and a book from a chest. They walked back to me.
"Alright. I think we're ready. Well, I am at least. Not so sure about you guys."
"We should head to my place after we get past the Red keep. There are things that I have to get." I said, as I began to walk to the door, and leave.
"Alright! I'd love to see your place!" Mia cheered.
"I assume you don't have the dragon egg on you. I don't sense it's magic."
I walked to the ladder, and turned to him. "Right. I don't have it on me, but if we're going to do this, then I need it."
We climbed up the ladder, and went back into Drake's room. It felt warmer up here, but the weather of the cold season still plagued the temperature.
"Let me grab my stuff." I said, as I went to the bedside cabinet, and put on my hat and cape. As we went into the yard, Drake asked a question.
"So is your home past the Red keep?"
I nodded. "Yeah. It's not too far from Argon's wall, which is a few miles away from the Red keep."
He nodded. "Alright. We should get there by tomorrow or the next day, I guess."
The clouds in the sky were dark, as they always were, but there was definitely a lot less than where I lived. We went to the staircase and began our way down. Drake came up behind me.
"Grayson, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier..."
He was going to say more, but I stopped him. "It's fine, Drake. Just let it slide."
He shook his head. "But, I have no excuse for it! I had no right to do that!"
I turned around, stopping Drake, and causing Mia to walk into him. "Hey!" She said, but I ignored it. I looked up at the Mage, and talked to him calmly.
"Drake, it's fine. You're probably just stressed out, and trust me, when I'm stressed, I tend to say things that I shouldn't, and raise my voice. Let's just try to take it easy."
He looked away from me, and pulled up his his hood. "Alright."
I turned around slowly, and continued onwards. I understand why he snapped, well, I have an idea at least. I admit that I lose control of my anger quite often, and stress can have a big part in losing control of your emotions. We jumped across the broken area, but Mia fell into the hole between the steps before we got down. Drake helped pull her back up.
"Thanks." She said, moving her hair out from in front of her face.
"No problem."
We ventured into the area covered in dirt and sand. The smell of the ocean was already beginning to be masked out by by the smell of dust and dead plant life. The grass was dead, and the leaves on the bushes and trees were starting to wither from the cold. I reached my hand into my satchel, and began searching through it. I had a lot of maps, and hopped that one was a map to the Red keep. I pulled out map after map, but didn't find it.
"Is everything okay, Grayson?" Drake asked, walking past me.
I rolled up another map, put it back, and pulled out yet another one. "Yeah. I'm just looking for the map to the Red keep. I still haven't memorized exactly how we get there from here."
I pulled out the last map, and unrolled it, revealing a map of the way to get to our destination.
"Found it! Let's get a move on."
We have to cautious on this entire trip. Mercenaries and bandits could lerk at every corner, and I refuse to let myself be caught. I refuse to let them get my friends. Only over my dead body. I looked at the bushes, and searched through it, trying to find some berries.
"What? All of the berries are gone!"
Drake laughed. "Well, yeah man. It is winter after all."
"Oh. Right. For a second, I forgot." I looked back down at the map, feeling a little embarrassed, and continued forward.
"How do you forget when it's freezing outside?" Mia said, walking up beside me.
I shrugged. "First destination, Alduin's keep Forest." I said, avoiding the question.
"I wonder if that horse is still there." Drake said, jokingly. I laughed.
"I remember that creepy horse. I really hope it's not there. If it is, I might just kill it."
Mia turned to me, and said almost defensively, "Why would you kill it? Why'd you call it creepy if it's just a horse?"
Drake answered her. "It was there for about two days straight and barely moved. It just had this creepy atmosphere around it."
"That sounds...strange." She said, sounding like she thought we were crazy.
I faced her. "You'll see if it's there."
"Um... Alright. I'll see if I feel strange around it, but right now, I only feel strange around the two of you." She said. Drake and I both chuckled.
We were walking at a fast pace. In what felt like no time at all, we got to the stone bridge leading into Alduin's keep Forest. The vines on it seemed to have grown more since I was last here. The ancient bridge was covered in dirt on one side, until it got to the middle of the bridge. It was broken here and there on the right side, and had ancient carvings on the brims. As we crossed the bridge, I turned to Mia.
"You know, some of the water affects the wildlife in weird ways. That's why the trees are black, and Nightmares like to hang out here."
She tilted her head. "Nightmares? I haven't seen those in a long time. Only in, well, nightmares."
"Now that I think about it. You're right. I haven't seen a real one in a while. Not since we left we were at the magic library, actually."
The memory of the last time I had seen a Nightmare flashed through my mind. When we got rid of Herobrine. When Armen died.
I looked over at Drake. He looked down at the ground, looking as if he was going deep into thought, remembering our lost friend. I began to regret ever mentioning anything.
He sniffed, and looked back up, shadows from his hood almost hiding his eyes.
"Let's go." His voice was low.
He walked into the forest. Mia and I exchanged glances, before we both followed him. Did I mess up by mentioning that day? I guess I forgot how much Armen's death had affected him. A month isn't enough to move on from the death of someone you cared deeply about. Someone you've known for so long. In Drake's case, his whole life. I know how hard it can be to move on. I know that more than anyone.
"Hey, Grayson?" He said, his voice sounding a lot brighter.
"You wanna see if the horse is there?"
I smiled, joyed that he seemed to be in better spirits now. "Of course. I wanna prove to Mia just how creepy that thing is."
"How can a horse be creepy? Unless it's hairless, then I just don't understand!"
Drake shrugged. "Well, it's unsettling."
"I wanna see it!" She cheered, running ahead of us.
We all laughed. I liked the feeling of laughter. I liked feeling truly happy. It seemed to be something I only felt around Drake, and Mia, and, well, once Armen. My negative thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind, and I followed my comrades, filled with joy. Drake was the first one to get to the spot where the horse once was, even getting ahead of Mia. He looked through the brush, frantically.
"Aww man. It's not here." He walked over to where the magic circle was hidden behind the vegetation. "The teleportation circle is still here, though!"
I was disappointed. "What? It's gone? That sucks. I was looking forward to killing it." I said, drawing my sword on the last part.
"Grayson!" Mia yelled at me. I couldn't help but laugh as I put my sword away.
"You know, it's been a month and I've walked passed here almost every day. I should know that it's not here!" Drake said, walking back to us.
I looked at him, alarmed as he started coughing. He sniffed and caught his breath once he stopped.
"You alright Drake?" Mia asked.
He nodded. "I'm okay. I'm fine. It's just a little cough. Not much." He turned around and walked away.
I still felt worried about him. Hopefully we wouldn't run into any mercenaries, because I want him to rest and get some stress off of his shoulders. Stress and illness is all I have to explain what's wrong with him, but as long as he gets better, then I'm fine with that.
"Wait!" I called out, making Drake and Mia stop in their tracks.
"The bodies of those people I killed yesterday... We have be careful right now. Be quiet until I say otherwise." I said, running up in front of them.
"Why do we have to be quite around dead bodies?" Drake said, almost a whisper. Almost.
I whipped around and shushed him. For all we knew, other mercenaries could be cleaning up the bodies. I remember having to do that in my early days as a mercenary.
"It's not the bodies. Mercenaries may be cleaning up the mess I've made. Just stay behind me, alright?"
Drake nodded, while Mia whispered. "You got it."
I walked around the trees, and jump over the crevices in the ground. I heard noise from around the fallen wall, and sure enough, I was correct. Three mercenaries hauled the bodies of the men into their wooden carriages pulled by horses. The bodies of the animals were left behind to rot.
"Mercenaries. Stay back, they look like they're about to leave."
I wanted to kill them, but they would attack us, and I don't want them to get to Drake, or Mia. I'm not taking the chance. The three men hopped into the carriage, one of them taking the reins on the horse, and rode off.
"Alright. They're gone." I said once I knew it was clear.
We jumped across the crevices, and went across the bridge into Alduin's keep. I looked to make myself absolutely sure they were gone. The gravel still had obvious traces of blood all over.
"Why were they here?" Mia asked.
"New mercenaries usually have clean up bodies of fallen comrades. They were cleaning up what I did yesterday."
"Oh."
Drake looked at the horse corpses. "Why don't they clean up the these corpses?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. They're just disrespectful like that."
I looked over the news board alongside Drake. He seemed to be searching for another wanted poster of himself, looking uncomfortable in doing so. With the body gone, my name was visible again, but blood was still soaked into the wood, giving it a faint red color. I looked for a description of Drake, but luckily, I didn't find one. I nodded. As long as Drake's not there, then I don't mind seeing my name instead.
Drake's point of view-
I was glad my description wasn't up on the board, but It still disturbed me seeing Grayson's name. He didn't deserve to be up there in the first place. It's just a dragon egg.
"Come on." Grayson said, pulling his map out again and walking away.
We moved onwards to the temple leading out of Alduin's keep. The grass was beginning to lose its green color, and the leaves on the trees were beginning to turn yellow. The sky seemed to get cloudier and darker as we went. The air was cool, but most of my body burned painfully. I didn't let that bother me, though. I have to focus on our journey, with no distractions.
My head was still pounding, and it was getting to the point where my ears were starting to ring. I'm sick of it. I saw a black being on top of the temple. It moved swiftly and vanished from sight.
"Did you guys see that?" I asked, hopping they witnessed it as well.
"What?" Grayson pulled out his sword, keeping the map in his left hand.
I could see the figure levitating in the doorway of the temple. It's long crystallized hands and gaping mouth made it obvious what it was. A Nightmare.
"You guys really don't see that?" I pointed.
Mia looked where I was pointing, but in reply, she said "I don't see anything."
The Nightmare breached out of the darkness, coming at us at a fast pace. It was almost abnormal for a Nightmare. The closer it got, the more my head pounded. I drew my sword, ready to defend, but before I knew it, the creature was right in front of me. I stuck my diamond sword out in attempt to stab it, but it's black skin turned grey and transparent, until it faded into a gray mist. It was just a stupid phantom. I looked back and forth between Mia and Grayson, both of them looking at me in a strange way.
"Well, come on. Let's go check it out." Grayson said, walking up to old temple.
"Come on, slow poke!" Mia said, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me along.
The pressure in my head was making my eyes water, but Mia hadn't noticed. My chest was aching again. When we made into the building, Mia let go of me. I immediately went to the far lower right corner, and fell to my knees. I put my arm on the wall to rest my head. The cold stone felt last it was freezing my skin.
"You okay, dude?" Grayson said, reaching out his hand to grasp my shoulder.
I opened my mouth to say something, but instead of words, only my hot breath and saliva left my mouth as I started coughing uncontrollably. The ringing in my ears began to fade. Grayson grabbed my shoulder, and kneeled down next to me.
"Drake? Maybe this isn't a good idea. We should go back and wait till you're feeling better."
I shook my head and forced myself to stand. "No! I-I mean... We have to keep going. We're not going to turn around because of my little problems. I'll be better soon, I just need some health potions. That's all."
I took off my backpack, and reached into it, grabbing the bottle of shining pick liquid. I tore the cap off, and drank it down as fast as I could. My headache and the burning pain was slowly dimming.
"I'll be fine." I began to put the bottle back, and put the straps back in place on my shoulders.
"I hope you will. We have a long way to go." Grayson acknowledged.
I stood up, and went to the ladder to climb up. The phantom Nightmare still had my heart racing, accompanied by my rise of blood pressure from the coughing.
"Say, guys? Tell me more about the Nightmares. You said that they suddenly just vanished?"
I got up to the top, with Grayson and Mia making it up one at a time after me.
"Yeah." Grayson nodded. "It's incredibly strange how there used to be thousands of them that came out at night, but now, I never seen them. At night or day."
We continued the conversation as we walked to the temple of the goddess. I was sure Mia would adore that place.
"They say that Nightmares are the souls that He stole. Maybe they aren't around anymore because He's gone. Their spirits might have finally passed on."
"Well, I hope so." Mia mumbled. "I sure would hate being stuck as one of those forever."
"That is an interesting theory, Grayson. Have they been known to go into hibernation? That may be a reason they're gone."
He shook his head. "The Nightmares don't hibernate. The only thing that's really known about them are all just rumors. They can't be studied because they can sense things around them. That is one of the only things truly known about them. That, and the fact that they followed everyone, and kill people."
I felt a chill run down my spine. I wonder if those rumors are true. What if back at the magic library, it wasn't Herobrine that took the form of a Nightmare? I swallowed the lump in my throat. We got to the temple ruins, not too far from the crag mountains similar to the ones at my home. Mia caressed the stone with her hand, with wonder in her eyes. She was always easily fantasized by many things, especially really old things.
"These are so ancient!" She turned to me. "They're just like the one's at your place! Isn't that cool?"
"Yeah. I came to this place a few times since our departure. This place has magic embedded into the stone, just like at my place."
"Really? That's interesting." Grayson commented.
Mia ran down the path, eager to see more ruins. We followed behind, while Grayson made a few stops to try and find berries in the bushes, but he was unsuccessful. When we caught up with Mia, she was by the magic goddess statue, trying to examine every inch of it.
"This is so awesome! I remember these statues at the magic library! Didn't you say it was some magic goddess?'
I nodded. "Yeah. They called her the goddess of magic; the reason Magi's such as myself, are able to use magic like we do."
"So cool." She made a weird gurgling sound in her throat.
"Calm down. It's just stone anyways."
"Don't tell me to calm down. I decide when I want to calm." She looked up at me for a few more silent seconds. "Okay. I'm calm."
I took a step back. "Um, okay."
Grayson walked past us, continuing on the path. I looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was already a ways away from the center of the sky. It was almost evening.
Grayson turned to us. "Do you guys think we're going to have to set up a camp or something? It's already getting late."
"We might just have to set up a camp. We did the last time we went to Red keep."
He took up his map to look at it one more time, then he rolled up the map in his hands, and put it away into his backpack.
"Alright. Have you ever been over here, Mia."
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Well, the bridge and the steps around the mountain are...quite dangerous. Just watch your step." Grayson said.
We moved on, with Mia seeming a little disappointed that she couldn't explore the area more. She pouted and crossed her arms.
"It's alright, Mia. That's really all that's here. Besides, cultist like roaming around at night, so I assume you wouldn't like being out at night."
She looked up at me, unfolding her arm, and giving me an alarmed look. "So where are we going to stay? If cultist are out at night, then I refuse to be out in the open in a camp site."
"Don't worry. We know a place where we can go."
Grayson called out ahead, "And I'll keep watch while you guys get some sleep. I won't let anyone get near us."
I liked knowing that Grayson always tried to have our backs. He was willing to lose whatever, for the sake of his friends. That's someone with true heart. A true friend.
We arrived to the mountain. The narrow steps made me uneasy.
"This...doesn't look safe." Mia said, as looked over the edge of the mountain.
"I told you. Just be very careful." Grayson went onto the rock stairs, being cautious with each step and turn.
We got up to the rigidity, thin bridge, that now seemed even more dangerous than the last time I had ventured here. The wood planks beyond the stone looked like the they could snap right under your feet at any moment, and make you a splattered red picture on the dirt canvas below.
I stepped onto the bridge. My disliking of heights kicked in. I just wanted to get off, and back onto stable ground. I didn't feel like this the last time. I felt relief when all three of us got off safely. I shouldn't have been nervous. I've made it across before with no feelings of fear, so why did you feel panic this time around?
"Why did whoever made these, make them so small?" Mia said, walking behind us slowly on, still on the bridge when we had gotten off.
"I don't know." Grayson replied.
"Whoever did, they were not very good architectures." I commented.
She made it across, and let out a sigh of relief. "That was blood rushing! I'm so glad no one fell."
I chuckled. "Me too. I hate heights like that." I looked over the edge, feeling chills go up my spine.
As we followed Grayson up to the sandy land,Mia asked, "How are you scared of heights if you're so tall?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "That's just how it is."
We got up onto the sand and dirt. A long bridge with charred stone lead to a building built within the mountain. Across from us, was a charred and demolished building. The burning and destruction was caused back when Armen was possessed. Beyond the burned building, were skulls of people he killed mounted on poles, and a statue built in his likeness to represent his immortal reign of the world. I felt my left eye beginning to twitch. I put my hand over it to stop it. I growled, getting Grayson's attention.
"You alright? Do you need anything?"
I shook my head. "No. No. I'm fine, it's just..." I looked in the direction of the statue, that remained in the very place I had last seen it. I felt grief wash over me.
"This place reminds me of Armen." I missed him more than anything.
Grayson looked over at the statue, then put his head down and sighed. "I miss him too, Drake. We've watched him die twice, and it never feels any better a second time around..."
I looked down as well, remembering my best friend. Grayson looked back up at me, a put a smile on his face. I pulled down my hood.
"It's alright, man. If anything, it's better that it played out the way it did. He won't suffer from the problems of life anymore. This way, he is truly free."
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to my right, and saw Mia.
"It's like I said at the magic library. You saved him. He won't go through the h**l he must have been through anymore."
They always knew how to make me smile. To make the pain go away. I'm forever grateful to have them at my side.
"Look out!" Grayson suddenly called out. Before I could look at him, he jumped in front of me, and pushed me.
I fell onto the ground, with a grunt. I pushed myself up to a sitting position, and opened my eyes, and gasped. Grayson stood there, with a small black object sticking out of his neck. His wide eyes slowly closed, until his body fell over onto my trembling legs.
"Grayson!" I yelled and shook his unmoving body, as Mia screamed.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my neck as my eye started twitching again. I cried out. Mia's body fell over as well. My vision was getting even more blurred, but I could see a figure in black standing behind where she once stood.
Another sharp pain hit my neck, and I cried out once more. The world spun and became blurrier and darker. I fell onto my back again, and heard the faint sound of multiple pairs of footsteps on the dirt, getting closer. I saw multiple dark figures looming over me. I tried to sit up again to get to my friends, but I just couldn't. My limbs were becoming numb. The black in my vision grew more and more, until I could not stay conscious any longer.
Luke's point of view-
Another night, fell on the lands. Another day of my failure. I'm getting tired of roaming around and not finding anything. The emperor is going to be p****d that I'll show up later then I should have, if I even show up at all. I rubbed my arms as I shivered, and my breath fogged up with each exhale I made. It was dark, but the moonlight leaking through the tree leaves lead me on the path through the forest. The rain that happen in this area had just stopped, making me have to walk in mud, but that was the least of my problems.
I sighed, putting my head down. "This sucks."
I could feel my fingers freezing through my gloves, and my cheeks and nose freezing through my mask. I breathed onto my hands and rubbed them together to warm them, then I wrapped them around myself for heat. My eyes moved to look at the trunk of a tree. A piece of paper was nailed to it. I couldn't read the words, but I saw a picture in the moonlight. Tearing it down, I looked at the picture.
"The hybrid? This is the only one I've seen with an actual picture on it."
I assumed someone who survived the hybrids and Grayson's onslaught last month made a visual description for this. Great, now other people will know. Does that mean that they can get one hundred and fifty marks if they get him first? I squinted as light suddenly appeared. I saw an orange light up at the top of my line of sight, making me look up. A man in a black cloak holding a torch walked closer to me on the path. A putrid smell seemed to be coming off of him. It made me gag, but somehow, the scent was familiar.
"Excuse me, sir?" I called out, until he stopped mere feet away from me.
The shadows of the night hid his face underneath his hood, but the flames of the torch made parts visible. He looked like something was on his face, like a beard.
"I work for the northern empire. Have you seen this hybrid creature?" I handed the poster to him.
He snatched it away roughly, making the upper part in hands tear. Honestly, he made me a little mad. He chuckled, making me feel uneasy. Something isn't right about this guy.
"Yeah...I've seen him." He said in a raspy voice.
My mood lit up. "Really? Where?"
He pointed behind himself, dropping the paper. I snatched it back as it made it's way to the muddy ground. Then, I stuffed it back into the belt on my waist.
"Him and some buddies were by the Red keep. Not many people go down there." His voice sounded a bit deranged at the last part. I wanted to get away from him.
"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, sir." I said, as I tried to walk around him.
Suddenly, his sword went in front of my face, blocking me from moving forward.
"Now, don't leave just yet. You know, I like to have company for dinner. I've just eaten, but..." He dropped the torch on to the ground, a majority of the flames going out on the moist brown mud and dirt.
The ominous light from the dying flames revealed more of his facial features. His eyes were like the mixture of the colors in fire, red, orange, and yellow, and his pupils were dilated. His dark brown hair was messy and greasy. Scars were on his cheeks, and stitches covered his dark clothing. I could see a bone handing from a string on his belt. Small ribs from tiny animals were tucked into a belt around his abdomen, going over his open cloak. He revealed his sharp teeth, stained in a dark material. What I had previously thought was a small beard on his chin, was red, thick blood. The flames died out completely.
"...I'm still starving."
I jumped back as his sword went straight towards my neck. I drew my own sword to defend myself. This guy is a complete psycho! He laughed, as he charged at me, with his sword in his left hand, and his right hand glowing orange. He's a magic user. I can't block his sword or he will hit me with a magic spell.
He held his sword out straight to stab me, and prepared to hit me with a spell, but I dodged the sword, and the swing from his magic engulfed fist. I took a swing with my iron blade, the tip of it nearly cutting his face, but he bent backwards to avoid it. That creepy smile remains on his face, as if it was permanently stuck there.
I jumped sideways to avoid him, but stayed on the path. The magic energy on his hand morphed into blazing fire. He held up his hand and said something that I couldn't understand, then the ball of flames hurtled towards me.
The mud in the ground licked at my boots, nearly not letting me dodge the ball of fire, but I made with no time to spare. It hit the ground, evaporating the water that was on the ground at and around the place of impact. I focused on my opponent, keeping my arms bent so I could strike at the opportunity. I'm not going to let another magic user take down.
I charged, hoping he couldn't recharge his magic before I could strike. The mud on my boots kept slowing me down. His blade swung at me, hitting my chest plate, causing sparks. I held up my sword, blocking his next attack. I remembered that I had extra weapons on me this time. While he was distracted with trying to hold off my sword, I reached down to my belt with my other hand, and searched for a handle. My hand grasped leather wrapped around metal, with a sharp, thin end.
Quickly, I drew my dagger, and thrust it into the man's neck. His sword fell from his hands as he began to cough up blood, but that creepy smile still remained. I pulled out the dagger, and let him fall as his life slipped away. I walked to the right side of his body, and kicked his head to ensure his death. He didn't move, but the moonlight helped me see the wide smile across his cheeks. A shiver ran up my spine. Is this guy a cultist? I looked forward on the path, feeling my nerves calm down, but I was still trying to catch my breath.
"Red keep, huh?"
I had no idea if he was telling the truth, but I'm getting nowhere with where I am now. It's worth a shot, I suppose. I just need to get this mission done with before the emperor finally snaps.