"Your friend is..."
We all leaned in, taking in every word, ready for the grave news. Our breaths held.
"Fine" Richard said with a smile.
We fell back in dismay, foaming at the mouths, all our bubbling emotions having to disappear so suddenly.
"Oh my, are you all ok?" he worriedly asked, an innocent look on his face. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as if entirely oblivious.
"Don't mess around like that Richard," I growled angrily, my fist banged him on the head and Sabre spat at him. His eyes became a stream of tears as a pulsing red lump grew on the top of his head. He wept apologising as I spin away from him. My arms folded and my face an angry pout, Sabre copying.
"Ho, ho, ho," he suddenly laughed, "no need to fret so much, all his serious wounds have been sealed up. While not healed, it is undoubtedly a significant first step. With a few potions and ointments, I'll have him walking within a week," Richard diagnosed.
"Really, that's great news," I said relieved and no longer angry.
"I suppose Madam Mopta helped heal his injuries?"
"Yeah, after we found him unconscious outside of our cabin,"
Richard seemed surprised.
"She said to bring him to you to be sure."
"Tsk, tsk while I'm glad she holds me in such high regard, at alas, medicine isn't my forte merely something I gained in accordance. Where my skills truly lie is in the field of magic," Richard claimed passionately.
"You're a wizard and a doctor?" Bertolt asked, shocked.
"I am neither!" Richard stated, his voice raised, "what I am is a scientist researching into the art of wizardry," he said quite proudly.
"What's a scientist?" Bertolt questioned.
"Well, I'm glad you asked that my boy ho, ho, ho..."
As Bertolt and Richard went on, I approached the elf boy on the table. Curiosity getting the better of me, I looked him up and down in wonder. It was the first time I had really seen the elf up close. He was young but still appeared older than me, anywhere from 18 to 20. But he was very different from what I had heard of elves. For one, he didn't have any air of nobility or arrogance they were so famous for. Yet even asleep, he looked vehement, an intensity radiated off him. I couldn't explain it, but for some reason, I could feel all his negative emotions, his hidden pain. I felt the urge to touch him my hand edging for his face- he suddenly twitched, and I stepped back startled.
"Everything alright Aurora?" Richard asked, concerned.
My hand clasped over my chest, my heart beating rapidly. I try to calm myself down and nod with a faint smile. Richard noticed something with the elf and was about to mention it- when the sound of a horn being blown rang out. Bertolt jumped with excitement. Forgetting his height like an idiot. His head banged off the ceiling, and he hit the ground with a thud. Still smiling through the pain as he lay there.
"Bertolt?"
"Giant boy."
"Meow"
We all stared at him, worried and confused.
"My brother is finally back," he explained slightly dazed and slowing getting up from the floor.
"Oh, Reiners is returning, this is good news. Now I can ask him how effective my jewel size modifiers were on his journey." Richard exclaimed happily joining in Bertolt's cheering.
They joined hands, lightly jumping and dancing in a circle together singing. When the sound of the horn finally faded away, there was a momentary pause, then a second horn was blown. Richard and Bertolt's happy dances came to a grinding halt.
"Something seems to have happened" a serious Richard broke the silence.
"No, not brother, "Bertolt whispered weakly.
"Let's go," Richard voiced sternly, opening the door to the hut and walking out. Bertolt dragged himself behind. I glanced once more at the sleeping elf then went with them. We were back outside on top of the pillar, and the two giant guards were nowhere to be seen.
"How are we getting down?" I asked.
"Magic my dear, magic,"
Richard crouched over, his hand placed on the ground. It glowed bright, and a rune circle around us came to light. Then suddenly, the pillar began to sink. Sinking and sinking until eventually, we had reached the ground.
"Now this is a little thing I've been researching. I call it 'Giantification powder'" Richard explained.
"Unfortunately shrinking is much easier than enlarging so while my shrink powder works fine......erm well let's just hope nothing goes wrong."
He slyly added, and before we could even protest, he sprinkled us all with the powder. I felt like I was getting inflated, my eyes, my hair, my body was all blown up like a balloon. Only stopping when I was just a little bit under giant Bertolt's height. Richard blew up to even taller than Bertolt. I started to feel light as if I was filled with air and was about to float off.
"Careful now Aurora. Hold Sabre close, one wrong move he could end up floating around in the sky. I lost my pet pig like that a long time ago."
Richard cried with rivers streaming from his eyes as he looked to the heavens. Sabre shivered, tucking tighter.
"One day, Igor, you'll come down."
He radiated sadness, and I felt so sorry for him, my hand on his shoulder.
"When did you lose him?" I asked sympathetically.
"Oh, about 10 minutes before you arrived," he said again with an oblivious frown. An urge to punch him right in the face overcame me but I just barely held it in.
"Right come along now, let's go find out what's going on," he said, leading the way.
The entire village was in disarray, everyone had gathered around the chief's tent awaiting news of what had happened.
"Wizarding scientist coming through" Richard called out as we approached the crowd. They parted, and we made our way to the tent. Richard's guards were at the entrance and let us in. But even the jolly Thoren had become stern. Inside were a group of mostly giant men, standing around a large rectangle oak table. A giant young man lying injured on it. Deja vu, huh. A dark shroud covered his body, throbbing as tho alive. Seeping through his veins just short of the top of his shoulders but slowly encroaching upwards to his head. Two females stood over him, placing their palms over the blackness, their hands glistening with a green aura. They were seemingly trying to heal him but to no avail. They shook their heads solemnly seeing the lack of reaction from the darkness. The atmosphere grew dreary, silence permeated the air.
As the women stepped back, someone stepped forward. A quiet man with a patchy beard, grey eyes, weary. Broad shoulders graced him along with rippling muscles. He wore a single-horned helmet, the other was broken off. A fur coat draped over his garments. Pressed under his palms, the end of a long double-edged axe. The blade on the ground.
"From one table to another" Richard muttered to himself.
"Brother" Bertolt unknowingly spoke, his voice crippling and sobbed.
"Reiners?" I asked internally and suddenly recognised the shaking and broken man on the table. His face was scrunched up, breathing faint and wheezy, sweat dripping from his forehead. Bertolt wanted to touch him and as his hand got closer to the dark shroud. Richard pulled it back. The chief eventually looked up from the injured man and glanced at Richard with the faintest of hopes.
"Is there anything you can do?" he asked, within his voice a trace of a tremble.
Richard looked at Reiner's situation once more and finally gave a sad sigh.
"Even I am helpless against dark magic that has progressed this far. Only Madam Mopta could help remove it or at the very least suppress it," he explained.
"Then we-" the chief began.
"We could. However, I fear we would not make it in time."
The ground shook, the earth underneath the chief's axe cracking. Frustration plastered over his face. He was powerless, his own son was dying in front of him.
"Its ok father" a weak voice barely managed to speak.
"Reiners," his father said sorrowfully. Bertolt was fully crying at this point tears covering his face.
"Hey brother, come here" Reiners called.
The Richard released him, and he walked to Reiners' head.
"Don't be crying there little brother, we all die someday so what if mines a little early."
"But what about me Reiners, I don't want you to go,"
"Ha, ha I know you don't, but it's up to you now. Your gonna have to become strong to protect the village. And you can't do that if you're crying over me,"
Bertolt slowly nodded, snot dripping from his nose as Reiners smiled at him. He looked to Richard next; using what strength remained, he reached to under his shirt. Tugged something from his neck, yanking it off then throwing it at Richard. Who swiftly caught it and opened his hand to see a red scarlet necklace sitting on his palm.
"It served me well," Reiners said with sincerity.
"I'm glad," Richard replied with a slight bow then his face went serious again. "May I ask who or what did this to you?"
Everyone looked eagerly for the answer.