The Courage of an Alliance
Chapter 4
Mystery had awoken from a strange sleep. She looked around to see where
she was, but her eyesight was not doing too well. I remember an
octopus, wait was that an octopus? She tried to remember what had
happened but all she could see was a blur. I was attacked by a
twister with those 3 men. Wait, I think it was 4. One of them was named
Sam, I know that for certain. Was there a Sam? Ohhhh my head hurts so
much. She was gaining her eyesight, and along with that her
composure. Two clowns, I remember two clowns. Her eyesight was
normal again, and she looked around to finally see where she was.
*Gasp!* Oh no. .. Paul and Griffin lay next to her. Mystery
couldn´t see Paul clearly with his helmet on, which he has worn since he
left the Aspenwood Forest. He had dark brown hair, a toned face, but
pale skin. She looked over at Griffin as well. There was no color in
their eyes, no breath coming from their mouths, no pulse. Mystery sat
by them, mourning their death. Even if a person has known another for
ten seconds, a death will always be tragic. She sat down next to them
and simply stared. These men came to my aid when I screamed. When I
needed them. These people are heroes, not me. Mystery heard steps
behind her. She got up and turned around to see who this person was,
and she was prepared to fight if they were hostile. Mystery sighed in
relief. It was merely Taby, but something was strange about her.
"I don´t remember your name, but someone has killed your two
friends! I am not sure how they died, but I know that it couldn´t have
been natural." Taby didn´t answer. "I know this is hard for
you, but we need to find the murderers. Those manic jesters couldn´t
have gotten far." Still no response. "Are you all right?
Have you been injured?" Mystery could see through Taby´s helmet
that something was wrong. "ANSWER ME!" Mystery screamed at
the top of her lungs. There was a very long silence, but finally Taby
spoke.
"Bliss and Blasphemy have sent me back to kill you all."
Mystery stared in awe. "Foolish girl, those two aren´t dead, they
are just put under my lord´s spell. The two of them were feeling
merciful, so instead of trapping them inside their own minds for the
rest of their lives, I will place my blade in their heart, thus
releasing them from the bonds of insanity. It is truly a mystery of
why you didn´t fall under the spell; you have the marking after
all."
"Marking? What marking?" Taby pointed at Mystery´s hand.
Mystery suddenly saw a jester card embedded in her wrist.
"My leaders wish for all of you to face my blade, so turn the
other way and I will make this quick."
"What have they done to you?"
"HA! They have made me better! I let them inside my mind and
they have worked wonders upon me. I am faster, stronger, and even
more agile. Now be a good girl and let me kill you." To Mystery,
it seemed that time slowed as Taby was running towards her with her
Kurzick sword. Why would I be wanted dead? Why didn´t I fall
under the same spell as the other two?. . . Maybe I am a hero. Maybe
I don´t need to die. Maybe I can stop HER! At that moment,
Mystery let out a burst of energy at Taby. Taby flew far back, but
landed on her feet. Fortunately for Mystery, Taby dropped her sword.
"You will need to try harder if you want to stop me! I can
defeat you with my bear hands!" Taby ran full speed towards
Mystery, and before she could react, got flung back into a jade wave.
Mystery looked around her and saw fragments of granite fall around her.
How did that not kill me? When all the jade had fallen, Mystery
noticed a faint purple force field surrounding her. Cool! If I can
do that, what else can I do? Taby was running towards Mystery for
a second blow, but Mystery held her hands out and focused harder than
she ever has before on her mystic abilities. Taby started to slow
down. Slower and slower and slower she went until she stopped
completely. This was strange, for she stopped in midair. I FROZE
TIME! Mystery pressed her hand against Taby´s chest, and let
energy flow freely through her body. Her hands started turning a
glowing purple, every second turning her hands brighter. Mystery was
now trembling. She could not let her energy roam for much brighter.
She couldn´t even see her hands anymore, for they were covered by this
bright light. Mystery finally let the energy out of her hands. Her
hands were not simply a light show, they were a powerful energy surge
capable of causing mass destruction. There was a massive explosion
due to the surge, knocking both Taby and Mystery back in opposite
directions. Mystery didn´t have time to put up a force field, so she
took the damage in full force, as did Taby.
Wh-What just happened? The surge knocked Taby back a couple
dozen feet away from the second crater in the ground, that one caused
by Mystery. This gave her a strange pride knowing that she could
break jade, for it is practically impossible without brute force
involved. This pride was cut short, for she saw Taby stumbling to
her feet in the distance.
"Woah, I feel like I just got his by a siege turtle. Where am
I?" Mystery got to Taby in a hurry. "Hey, you are that girl
that we rescued earlier. I don´t think that we ever got to introduce
ourselves. I am Taby, an ex-bodyguard of Count Zu Heltzer."
Mystery was yet again baffled. How did she-. . .I think I know how
to break the curse! Mystery ran over to the bodies of Paul and
Griffin. She let a much less powerful surge of energy out on them,
but they still laid there. Darn! I thought that would work.
Taby looked over and screamed. "Paul! Griffin! Oh no, what has
happened here?!"
"They were put under a curse by the two clowns earlier, as were
you. They aren´t dead, merely trapped in their own mind."
"How do you know this, and how come you weren´t put under this
"curse" as well?"
"For your first question, you told me all of this, since the
demons took over your body. The second question, I think that since I
am a mesmer, the curse couldn´t affect my mind. I freed you from
letting out an explosion on you. I thought I could do the same for
these two, but it seems not."
"Well did you use that skill at the same velocity?"
"No, when I used it on you, I probably almost killed myself and
you too."
"Hey, we are both here right now, so it cant be too bad. At
least give it a try." Mystery sighed and listened to Taby.
Instead of using the energy surge directly, she aimed it in between
the two unconscious heroes. The same things occurred as before, the
glowing hands, bright light, and the explosion. Taby was at a
distance, and stared in awe. Mystery, Paul, and Griffin were knocked
back in different directions, but Taby ran to help Mystery up due to
the fact that she was the only one Taby was very sure to be alive.
"Unnhh, thanks. Well, did it work?" The two women looked
over to see Paul and Griffin stumbling to their feet.
"Oh no Griffin, is this another illusion? All I can see is
green." The four heroes were finally reunited, and all was well
for the moment at least. Mystery knew that she would have to do much
explaining to everyone for what just happened, but she was glad that
she wasn´t alone anymore.
"Our new slave has probably killed the three of them now, my
lord."
"Yes, we simply chose the one with the weakest will to take
over. Those ones are always the easiest to make into puppets!"
Bliss and Blasphemy were sending their report to Safra. The demon
was just finishing a meal in its palace dining hall.
"Very well, but I think that I shall see if you two are being
honest with me." Safra got up from its seat. When sitting
down, it looks like an ordinary person without the bloodshot eyes,
grey skin, and fangs; but when it stands up, its black, scaly wings,
sharpened claws, and battered black robes can be more noticed.
"Let us go to the three doors." Bliss and Blasphemy had a
look of fear in their eyes.
"My-My lord! Isn´t there any other way for us to prove
this?"
"Let us bring you their heads!"
"Oh no that isn´t necessary, for the three doors have never
lied to me, unlike you two. Wasn´t it you two that burned my palace
courtyard, then blamed it on some brainless minion that´s sole
purpose is to mop? Oh and wasn´t it you two to suggest sinking my
palace to the bottom of the ocean to the gods, merely to get on
their good side?! We shall go to the doors now, no more
interruptions!" Safra walked out of the dining hall, his
jesters followed. They were now outside in the courtyard, walking
towards the tower that held the three doors, and Bliss was trying to
stall.
"My, My, the sky is beautiful today!"
"The sky is ocean. There is nothing beautiful about water! You
both are very lucky that I conjured an air space surrounding my
palace, or you both would have truly suffered." The three
monsters entered the tower and walked up what seemed like an endless
flight of stairs. When they got to the top, three giant doors
rested in front of them. "Now which door could tell me if
those heroes are dead? Past, present, or future? I will try
present." They walked through the middle door into a giant
white sanctuary. They walked towards the front to find 10 little
white spiders. "Show me where Paul and Taby are at the
moment." The spiders crawled up the wall and started making a
giant web. The Center of the web started making a picture.
"Well then it looks like we need to tell Elder Rhea what has
happened here. Maybe she can help us." Mystery spoke up as
well.
"And if what you say is true, then we need to get to Kaining
City and stop Jun from getting anywhere near Shiro´s seal."
Taby seemed worried.
"How can just the four of us do this all by ourselves?"
Griffin tried to comfort her.
"The four of us can stop anything or anyone if we work
together. We really should be heading back to Cavalon."
The picture on the web burnt into smithereens with Safra´s fire
blast. Bliss and Blasphemy looked over at it and rage was in
it´s eyes.
