"Crap!" Rahim cursed, trying to ignore his gag reflexes. "The stupid toads landed us in the wrong spot! I knew they were going in the wrong direction!" He was just about ready to pounce on the toads simply out of anger and disappointment, however the toads were long gone.
"Wait, so... we're even farther from the next temple?"
"Yup." He replied simply. Thankfully, there is another one about a week's journey in the direction the toads were taking us. As long as that sounds, our world is probably about as big as your sun. So it could be worse. We'll only be travelling a quarter of this planet-if that's what you want to call it."
"Wait, what!? It takes years to walk around the earth! It takes millions of Earths to fit into the sun! How do you know we'll even make it in this lifetime!?"
"We don't." Averett stepped in. "There are many dangers we will need to face, and now that Alderam knows what we intend to do, we will be in even deeper shit. Plus There are many... biomes, some you would recognize in your world, and some you humans could not so much as imagine. We will make sure to prepare for those as best we could, but this world is much more unpredictable than your own. Also, something you neglect to factor in, we have magic and can occasionally teleport to places, but magic like that is only for the heavily skilled, strong minded, and full hearted. It is exceptionally rare."
"Could the witch who cursed you teleport or make portals like that?" They went silent at your question. You see, your forgotten self, in fact could, but they only found out everything about you after you never came back. They raided your home and studied the memory figures (or what nerds would call temporary holograms) of yourself that would shuffle around your home. In a way, they stalked you-even in death. So talking to the witch-no. The queen that put them on this quest and the one they seemed to fall for-even the heartless Rahim-was still a struggle. And now they look at your 17 almost 18 year old form and compared you what your 15 year old self. They couldn't deny you have definitely matured for the better. Only if you were a little more educated in the ways of magic and who you really are. Maybe this could all have been over by now and they would go back to peacefully roaming their small inch of the forest.
Jeez! Now they're getting off track.
"Uh, yeah. She just preferred to travel a bit slower... anyway, there should be a small village we can stop by."
"Will we be able to book a room at a hotel or something?"
"You can. We'll need to sleep outside." You didn't like this.
"No." You said simply. "I'll get a small room, hopefully on a low level, and get you up to the window. I'm going to have to get a small room as to not raise suspicion and to conserve money. Especially since you guys make it sound like human turned animals are frowned upon." You claimed. "Oh! But Rahim gets to sleep outside."
"You shouldn't hold such a grudge against him. His heart was stolen from him." Averett stood up for his brother. "Literally."
"His heart was stolen from him? Well that will do us no good. Better learn how to get it back again." Suddenly, they were hit with a memory, one of the very first they had of you.
"...you stole from me, so you are to roam this forest until you can learn to love without a heart," She glanced at Rahim. "Think without a brain." Her eyes trailed to Favian. "And act upon courage without your pride." Lastly, her head positioned itself to Averett.
"Upon regaining these traits, you will learn forgiveness, and will regain most your human form.
"Yo! You okay over there? Going to die or something?" You waved your hand before their faces, wondering if they were okay.
"We're fine." Rahim growled as he began trodding forward again. You were tempted to say something but you knew it would cause another fight, and you probably wouldn't win this one, plus none of you needed to be in another fight. So, instead you choked the snarky comment.
"I will forgive him when he apologizes-and he must know what he's apologizing for and mean it." A huff sounded from the cat in question, indicating he had heard it.
"Anyway, this next place is going to look weird-to say the least. You were just in that temple with glowing balls floating in rivers, two giant roads, and some statue guardian trying to kill you-things will continue to get weirder and more dangerous, I assure."
"I supposed that depends on someone else's perspective. You make it sound like we're entering some fairy village but to get there you have to go through a portal that makes you shrink!" You laughed.
"You're right, the one we're going to is not that weird, instead that is village number 27, a bit past halfway, and limited to only villages, we still have a ton more monuments, temples, and general lands to visit. Better buckle up, Ms. (Y/n), this is going to be a long-LONG journey." Just then, Favian turned back around only to run right into some weird... tree thing? "Oh sh-kneel! Quick!" He demanded as he bowed before the creature. You got down on one knee yourself as Rahim and Averett copied Favian's movements. A rough huff sounded from the wood being before he continued on his way. It was silent for a bit until you spoke up.
"The hell was that!?"
"A treant. Get used to it, you're going to see them a lot later on."
"Okay... but why are we kneeling?"
"They are very fickle creatures. They think that when we cut one of their non-binary siblings down, we are committing a heinous act and believe that everyone does it. They are willing to overlook such a deed by begging for apology. The only we they understand that is if we kneel. We cannot reason with them as no one but treants and their fellow trees can speak the same language."
"Was it always like this?"
"Now that you mention it, not exactly. You had to kneel to them every time you encountered them, but once they accepted your apology, they would sometimes even go as far as to befriend you."
"Bipolar waste of our time, is what I say." Rahim snarled. You were really starting to hate everything that left this asshole's mouth.
"Well excuse me Mr. Heartless," You almost screamed. He flinched not because of this difference in tone, but the name you gave him. "Would you care if I hacked Averett or Favian down with a chainsaw!?" They didn't even know what a chainsaw was, but they were terrified. And when Rahim is terrified, Rahim is furious-especially when threatening his brothers.
"What's a chainsaw-?" Favian watch in horror as his brother launched himself onto you in their name; your head almost splitting as it was bashed against the trunk of a tree.
"You say that one more time and I'll rip that pretty little face you have there up into ribbons." Averett and Favian shook their heads with disappointment at the unintended and heavily hidden pun Rahim made. If only you remembered who you are, maybe Rahim would be the one turning to ribbons. Actual ribbons.
Testing your luck-which was probably not a good idea, but you knew how valuable you were to them (or, at least, half the value you were to them,) you grabbed the tiger's ear, yanked his head to your left and brought it close to your mouth. "Honey, it seems you don't quite know your place. I may seem like an innocent girl-incapable of harming a fly, but don't forget how I put you in your place, and I could just as easily do it again." You smirked as he yanked himself out of your hold.
"Now you listen here, you witch!" He stumbled, hoping you wouldn't notice the name he called you. "I am a heartless tiger, but I will still stand up for my brothers, even when I am to be hurt or already am!" He shouted to your face like a military sergeant. And finally, you started to see him in a new light.
"Maybe the poor tiger's heart wasn't stolen... instead frozen. Maybe the bear's brain and the lion's pride are simply... on break?" You spoke, your voice quiet, however loud enough for them to hear it. "Best we be on our way." You mumbled, brushing it all off, feeling uncomfortable.
Once again, silence dominated the area, save for the crunching of leaves under your feet. As you walked, you took little notice of the change in scenery. Before you knew it, there were no more crunching of leaves, no trees, no animals, just... sand?
"Uh-why are we in the desert?" It sounded completely normal, but considering you haven't been paying attention, you thought it made you sound rather foolish.
"Our next temple is out in the middle of the sea. It's the smallest sea in our world, but considered larger than your Pacific Ocean." Averett Apple matter-of-factly. "It will take us two weeks to travel by ship, a day to travel the actual temple, and two more months to come across the land on the other side. The sea is a two day's journey from our spot, but we should make it to a local village within the next two hours. There is also one on either coast, and a town of merfolk encircling the temple." Damn. That was a lot to take in.
You nodded your head, not really trying to comprehend what he had just said. It had been nearly a week that you had been traveling, and it was still so hard to take in. 'You'll get home eventually, and you won't miss a thing. It's fine.' You told yourself over and over.
And so, about an hour and a half passed before you saw something in the distance. The small space above horizon line was wavering, indicating just how hot it really was, but also contorting what might have looked like a bunch of clay huts.
In your excitement, you started running, the warm wind turning cool as it tore the sweat away from your body, granting you the feeling of relaxation you so desperately needed.
"Holy shit!" This was not what you thought a village here would look like. It was all filled with color, Wells of water located every few feat. There were little flags that hung from the clotheslines, crazy cool structures and other pieces of diverse architecture. There were street vendors and even some plays and dances taking place at the edge of alleyways. But something that really caught your eye was that small, weightless lanterns were tied to birds' feet, not yet lit. When they flew, the lantern tilted just slightly, giving you a good look at the shadow of a candle. "It's like a magical Arabian city!" You concluded in wonder. "Is there a festival taking place or something?"
"There's a party every night. It never ends." Raging grumbled.
"The people of the sand like to live life as if every day is their last. You see, many of their ancestors were angry with the rise of the Crow, so they sought refuge in a place of little darkness. And this being the only place on their mind, they came here. However, water was scarce and many people died, until one man found a giant well that spanned for miles just up ahead. Keep in mind, this was a few thousand years ago-at least to us-so they didn't know to dig. Well, now they have two reasons to celebrate. One, to ward off the Crow, and two, to celebrate the fact that they even have water to begin with. Also, the lanterns on those crows are a sign of warning to the Crow to keep off their land, as they could win with such a large disadvantage." Averett slowed. "However, the well is drying up, and we all fear they will die as they refuse to leave their home." The comment was solemn. "Now, there is hope. If the great Witch will only remember and defeat the Crow. We all are sure it will come to pass." They all looked at you, Favian and Averett smiling hopefully while Rahim stared neutrally.
"Wonder what she's like..." You turned away from them, talking yourself while your chin separated your thumb and index finger. 'Wow!' They all thought simultaneously. 'That went right over her head!' "Does this prophecy have a date?" You asked.
"It should take place very soon." All was silent again, until you broke it with yet another question.
"What is our goal, exactly?"
"Well, for one, we have to fix that clock. We also need to turn ourselves human again, but we didn't have the necessary ingredients for the potion, and we need you to make it because none of us have opposable thumbs." Rahim answered. "Along with a couple other things we are sure to come across."
"Thank you." Usually, you wouldn't thank someone for this sort of information unless you were writing it down, but you deducted it might help ease the tension between Rahim and you. Silence again. "Did it hurt when you were turned into animals?"
"No," Favian finally spoke for the first time in hours. "not physically, anyway. Being like this has its advantages. For example, a fur coat to keep me warm in the winter, claws for close combat, and two eyes."
"Two eyes?"
"I lost my left eye in a fight with another bear, coincidentally."
"Oh..." Suddenly, the sound of a merchant's calls caught your ears and you couldn't help but look in his direction.
"You! Young lady! Come here!" You stepped over as the other three trailed behind you warily. "I have many goods, and might I say you do look rather underfed. Your clothes are starting to dry up and rip!" He criticized. And it was true, you couldn't blame him. You only now just realized how many tears and holes were worming their way onto your clothes. And only now did you realize how hot it was with all of this on. "Because I take pity, I will sell you all you need for half the overall price." He offered. This was some of the best news you have heard in a while, but it would be a whole lot nicer if you had money.
"Shit-I'm so sorry! I wish I could, but I just realized I have no money." You confessed. The man stood with his head down, deep in thought. Then, he looked over at a belly dancing suit that surprisingly didn't seem to show much of the mannequin. Even so, you dreaded his next words.
"How about I supply you with everything you wish from my shop, and you pay for it by dancing." You groaned.
"I don't know how to dance" He thought for a moment.
"Can you do anything?"
"One thing." You smirked. "Have you ever heard of stand-up comedy?" The look that crossed Rahim's countenance was absolutely priceless.
♚♚♚
"I told you it would draw a crowd!" Favian called out, referring to how he proposed you wear the belly dancing suit saying it would probably be a bit easier to call attention.
"Shut up." You muttered as you balanced on the few wooden crates. "Hello!" You called out and everyone shut up all of a sudden. "Now, I know what you're all thinking-well at least the men." You cleared your throat. "Holy shit! It's a chick in a belly dancing outfit! Watch out, Jerry! Prepare to lose the bet we made five years ago because imma get LAID!" You practically screamed. Everyone cracked up. It was rather obvious they were easy to make laugh, but you weren't complaining.
"But, nope! You get to listen to some chick in hella itchy clothing, bitch and moan about how she's on some big quest and needs some money to buy some water because HOLY SHIT! I won't be able to talk for a week I'm yelling so much!" They all laughed. "This better be worth it cause honey this already hurts!" Once again, there was a series of chuckles and hearty laughs.
"So, I'm from out of town, just came from Earth if any of you know what that is-I wouldn't know if you did as it seems like I haven't asked enough questions... Although, these three behind me would probably say otherwise. I've just about talked their cute furry little ears off!" This went on for a while until you reached the end.
"I ask the guy, kinda just giving him a side glance, all innocent like, except for the growing grin on my face, just a small 'have you ever heard of stand-up comedy?' and the look on Rahim's face!" Your enlarged eyes as you mocked the expression on his face at the time made even the assholes of the group chuckle. "You should have seen it! Nevermind my comedy skit! That was comedy gold!" No one was spared from a sore gut that night. "And that brings us to only a-" You looked down at your watch. "Holy crap! I've been screaming for hours! Why didn't anyone tell me!? How can you stand listening to me for so long!? Am I really that great?" More laughter. "If that's true, I'm not very sure if Rahim would agree with you-but hey! I'll take what I can get!" And that sweet sound filled your ears again. "If you liked the show, show your appreciations and put your money in the possibly piss filled buckets because I'm sure drunk people piss in buckets if not a toilet." There were cheers all around and everybody stepped up to put some money. "And don't forget to take a painkiller tomorrow cause I'm sure your stomachs are going to hurt!" Even more money and laughs. "Good night! Don't let the birds catch on fire!" The place looked even more magical now with the place being so dark yet full of such light.
It was about one more hour before you were able to collect the buckets you were sure were once peed on but who cares! You got some money! You gave the many all the money and he counted it all, adding up to "1500 mints!? Are there even that many people here!?" He gaped. "Well, our deal is only 300. Here. 12 hundred for you. Now, come over and pick whatever catches your eye. It's still half off." You walked over, only now noticing he had an entire brightly lit alley for all his stuff.
Eventually, you picked out a few simple outfits and a whole ton of water and food. You were about to bring everything to the table when something caught your eye. You looked over to see a bright red sombrero, gold embroidery, golden flowers sewn on too, and about eight candles sitting in random places all over the hat. You didn't even notice you had been staring so long until you saw Rahim bump the table and the sombrero fell onto his head, knowing full well you could carry little else.
"Come on. We can get it." and so you meandered your way to a hotel after checking out.
"Oh! It's you!" the woman behind the counter perked up when she spotted you.
"Hi! I was wondering if you would allow all four of us to stay...? We have nowhere else to sleep." She looked at you tiredly.
"I don't usually allow any animals in here-can't tell which animal the Crow will disguise himself as next. But, because you were made me laugh for the first time since my son had died..."
"I-..I am so sorry to hear that..."
"Either way, I will allow it, but you cannot go scott free. 100 mints. No negotiating. That's my first and final deal." You looked back at the three behind you and they all nodded. You sifted through the money and pulled out a wad of mints equating up to 100. The woman gently took it and counted the money to make sure you weren't playing her before giving you a key. "The room all the way down the hall. To the right. Have a good night's rest, you four." She said and you backed away to walk down the hall to the woman's right.
Upon entering the room, you were shocked to see a few things you did not expect to see in this world. There was a large television set on the mantel, the remote lying on the nightstand between the two beds. There was a pretty great ventilation system and a few other modern Earth inventions lying around.
"How-? How technologically advanced is this world?" You questioned.
"More than yours, that's for sure. It is just that most of the place finds it useless or harmful if anything. Thanks to this, there will probably be two channels or so" You nodded. Makes sense."You know, you should probably teach yourself some spells. Maybe we'll run into Alderam, and there will most definitely be other characters to fight. I'll teach you." Rahim was acting strangely nice. You decided not to question it, however. As it would probably offend him and you didn't want to throw away your winning streak.
"Oh! Sure!" You sat on one side of the bed closer to the window which was on the left side of the room. Rahim jumped up and positioned himself like the Sphinx. You tugged out the spellbook and flipped to a random page.
"Huh, the Klisnet spell..."
"What?"
"Get that hat you got before and light the candles. Remember, keep it at a level one right now. We don't need you torching the place like you almost did the forest." You got up and retrieved the Mexican sombrero. You hopped back onto the bed, bouncing the giant cat around. You flipped to another page and incited the level one flame spell, touching each candle wick lightly and letting it catch flame. "Good. now go back." You flipped back to the other page. "Make a diamond shape with your hands. Close your fingers and drag them apart as if holding onto a line of thread or a strand of hair." You did just that and found random symbols forming inside the diamond before being stretched out and sprinkling its million particles on the flames and nothing else.
Nothing happened.
"Good. Now look at a candle. Look at it closely. Tell me what you find so different."
"I don't see anything."
"Look closer. Pay attention to the wax."
"There's nothing special about it! This spell was a dud! The candle isn't even melting... wait." You didn't see it, but Rahim grew a small smile, he couldn't help but admire your sense of wonder. "It isn't melting!"
"Exactly! This spell essentially immortalizes things." He informed pridefully.
"Wow!" Your eyes seemed to overcrowd with stars. "Me next!"
"NO!" They all screamed at once. Their eyes were wide with worry, their fur standing up and they all looked like they were ready to pounce.
"It doesn't work like that... You will probably die if you did." Rahim lay back down, clearing his throat. What he said wasn't untrue. You would most definitely disintegrate into nothing but dust like those symbols did. But none of them could afford that.
"Well, you keep practicing. Averett and I are going out to town again. Probably party and whatnot. Scare some locals. We'll be back later." Favan fixed a small satchel around his neck and stuffed the room keys into them. They both left in silence, only half way down the hall did they start talking. "He totally likes her."
"He definitely likes her." Averett reiterated "I mean, I'll be honest, I like her too."
"So do I!" Favian confessed. "How much you want to bet Rahim is warming up to her."
"You know what? I'm about to get drunker than I've been in a few thousand years and just about ready to have the time of my life. I'll take you up on that-it seems like a good bet. I wajor... the next night with her."
"Ew-no!"
"Oh please! I can't have sex with her or anything. I physically can't-and neither can Rahim or you. Don't make it weird. I'm just talking about sleeping in the same bed as her while Rahim and you share a bed. Fair?"
"Fine. Deal." They headbutted eachother instead of shaking paws and they continued on their merry way.
A few hours passed and the two had hobbled their way to their room, subtle singing a native folk song, slurring the words, and only shouting when there came an encore in the original. They popped into the room and were surprised at what they found.
A passed out (Y/n) lying on a dead-asleep Rahim. Favian turned to Averett, smirking mischievously.
"Pay up."
~~~~~~~Σ(゜ロ゜;)~~~~~~~
Sorry it's been a while! School has started back up and whatnot, so I'm pretty stressed, but I like to keep my peoples happy (sort of...)
Anyway, about 12 pages and 4280 words. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time!
Also, this was poorly reread, so please TELL ME IF YOU SEE ANY MISTAKES!!! I very much like it when you correct my grammar and whatnot.
Happy belated Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving for my fellow Americans! Adios!
FELIZ DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MIS CHICOS!!!!!!!