Luminous ran not looking back at the Hall Monitor or Master Mouse. The spiral sandy path felt like it stretched for miles as her heart pounded in her chest.
It wasn't until she saw a wooden door at the end of the pathway that she came to grip with the idea that she was running away. Was she ever going to see Master Mouse again? Did he die already? Maybe if she went back now..? She turned back on her heel facing away from the door to the way out.
"Woah woah! What are you doing?!" Yelled the Dawn of Fate. "Don't slow down! Run! Run before the Hall Monitor catches up to us!"
"Aren't you supposed to be a sword of protection?" Asked Luminous. "Maybe if we go back now…"
"Forget it. He's gone." Said the Dawn of Fate.
"But how do you know…?"
"You kidding me, kid, you just faced that thing. You know there is no facing that monster alone and surviving. Plus, what are you going to do besides get in the way again? You can't even do Soul Connect with me."
"But he..ever since I was little he was always just there... " Luminous though back to Master Mouse in his library. "There is no way that he can't be there...."
"You want to do something for Master Mouse? Then respect his wishes and find Vainglorious! Stop the Crow King from taking over the other five kingdoms!"
Luminous wiped away the tears on her eyes. She pushed the wooden door open and was met with bright white moonlight. Luminous shielded her eyes with her arm. Her socks found themselves stepping on a pile of brown, red, and yellow leaves on the ground. When she took her arm off her eyes, Luminous saw that she was in the middle of a bunch of trees with autumn leaves all over them.
"We're in a forest!" Exclaimed Luminous.
Her smile spread wide on her face. This looked just like a seance from one of her stories. Out in the open air with nothing but the trees and the stars. A quest, an adventure.
"Let's go camping!"
"Or we can go to Tavern Den that's to your left…"
Luminous looked to her left to see a tavern that looked like a ship turned upside down. The sign on top of the archway, reading out, "Welcome to the Tavern Den."
"Ohh, good idea!" Exscalmed Luminous. "I'm an adventurer now, and all the good adventures start in a tavern."
"Or we can look for Barrett."
Luminous raised her eyebrows. And if a sword had eyes, the Dawn of Fate would have rolled his.
"You know, Barrett, the guy who legally spends most of his time at the Tavern Den.The one Master Mouse said he could help us find Vainglorious."
"Oh.." Luminous bit her plush lip. "...right…that Barrett..."
Luminous walked under the archway, the huge glass vermillion sword strapped to her back. The smell of alcohol and roasted mutton immediately hitting her scratched up nose as her socks touched the wooden floor boards.
All the tables and even the bar counter were filled with tall brown-haired hunters/travelers, and huge ten-foot-tall brown bears.
"Oh goody, it's packed, and all we have to go off of is the guys' name." Snarked the Dawn of Fate."So..where should we look first, short stack?"
Luminous cupped her small hands around her mouth and shouted.
"Barrett!"
"No, short stack don't. You'll draw too much attention to us."
"Barrett!" Continued Luminous walking around the tavern. "Barrett!"
Everyone in the tavern began to take notice of the small scratch up girl hollering. However everyone became dead silent when a tall stranger with a red hood pulled up on his head got up from his seat in the corner of the bar walking towards the hollering girl.
Luminous stood in front of one of the tables about to call out Barrett's name again. When the tall hooded stranger came up from behind her, slamming his rough hand on the table and leaning up to her ear.
"Why are you calling out my name like I'm some kind of summon?" His gruff voice said in a whisper.
The stranger's hot breath hit Luminous' ear. A chill ran down her spine before she turned around. Her face only came up to his lean yet muscular bare abdomen, she looked up into his hood, into his light tan face to see two rosewood orbs staring down at her.
"Uh, umm.."
The braided brown-haired teen quarked his eyebrows when he started down at Luminous' face. The small girl had cuts all over her body. Even her pajamas had holes in them in various places. Then his eyes finally noticed her odd colored hair.
"Nice, uh hair…?"
"Oh, it's always been yellow." Luminous said automatically.
"I think he meant your hair cut." Said the Dawn of Fate.
"My hair cut?!"
Luminous reached her hands up to her hair. But instead of the waist long locks she was used to, she found that one side was cut to her chin, and the other side was down to her shoulder.
"What?!"
Luminous reached behind herself, grabbing the sword out of its sheath. She looked into the glass blade at her reflection.
"Hey! Dagnabbit! I'm not a mirror!" Complained the Dawn of Fate.
Luminous saw that her bangs; were pretty much untouched. But the rest of her hair on the back of her head was cut short and crooked.
"No, no-no…" She breathed frantically, running her hands, through her hair.
"Ahem?" Coughed, the older teen. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to see me, or?"
Luminous looked up from inspecting her reflection in the mirror to looking at the muscular brunette standing over her.
"See you?"
"You were calling my name." Said the brunette.
"I was?"
"Fu..uh..I'm Barrett!" Snapped the hooded teen. "Now what do you want?! I don't have time for bull, so spill it!"
"Oh, um, I'm looking for the wizard." Said Luminous.
Barret blinked at the odd girl, raising an eyebrow.
"Does this wizard have a name or?"
"His name…?"
"How about you give him that cloth Master Mouse gave you." Interrupted the sword.
"Cloth?" Luminous' brows knitted before a light bulb went off in her brain. "Oh, cloth!"
Luminous was in the middle of pulling out the cloth when Barret spoke again.
"If you want me to track someone, my services aren't for free, you know."Barrett put his hands in his pants pockets. "I'm no charity. I'm assuming you can pay the 75 boon for my service?"
Luminous clutched the blue cloth in her hand. She didn't have any boon on her, and there was no way she could go back to her kingdom, not anymore when the corrupt took it over.
"Ya, no problem at all." Said Luminous. "I can pay that."
Barrett scanned Luminous up and down. He's had shabby-looking people pay him decently enough before. Besides, 75 boon was the generous price.
"Great." Said Barrett. "It's a deal then."He snatched the cloth from Luminous. "But just know I track people down for a living. If you stiff me I will find you no matter where you go, and I will kill you."
Luminous gulped not moving from where she stood. Barrett held the small blue cloth up to his nose, he only took one wif from it before he stopped. His rosewood eyes wide from the sent.
"Not him…" Barrett seethed, handing the cloth back to Luminous. "Keep your boon, deals off."
"What!? We had a deal dagnabit!" Yelled the Dawn of Fate. "You said you could track our wizard! Or are you just too much of a big palooka to do it?"
"I can track any wizard! Queen! Or witch! I won't track Vainglorious." Gritted Barrett. "You can forget it if that creatine is involved, I want nothing to do with him or whatever he is involved with this time."
"Well, I'll be, I didn't take a big muscular hunter like you to be such a big milksop." Said the sword.
"What!? I'm not a...look, you people, or whatever you are." Barrett said to the Dawn of Fate. "Clearly don't know Vainglorious. I'm warning you for your own good. Stay away from him, he only looks out for himself and doesn't care who gets hurt in the process."
"But I…" Luminous thought about the last message Master Mouse said to her before he...She shook her head. "I have to, I have to find Vainglorious. It was Master Mouse's final wish."
"I don't know who that is, and I'm sorry for your loss." Said Barrett. "But it sounds like he didn't know Vainglorious either. Otherwise he wouldn't have..."
"I'll pay you double the price to find him!" Said Luminous.
"Short stuff, what are you..?"
"I'm still not doing it." Said Barrett interrupting the sword.
"I'll triple it! No, I'll pay you five times that much if you can find Vainglorious!"
Barrett knitted his eyebrows, racking his brain. Five times 75, he could make 375 boon off of this tracking quest alone, that's only 25 boon less then he made off of his quest he did for that one nobble who had him track down Miss Muffet the half spider witch. Poor fools didn't know when to quit when they were clearly overpowered.
He looked down at the small girl who looked like she had been out in the forest for weeks wrestling a bear.
"Make it 400 boon even, and we have a deal." Said Barrett.
"Deal." Said Luminous.
"Okay, that's it! You agreed to that way too easily! Just where are you getting this kind of boon? You a master thief or something?"
"Well, maybe, I am." Luminous pouted.
"Oh, ya, sure." Scoffed Barrett. "Shouting some stranger's name in a bar is very cunning and sneaky, I'm sure."
"Well, it worked." Frowned Luminous putting her hands on her hips.
"This kind of boon sounds too good to be true.I have trouble believing you." Said Barrett. "How about you give me 200 upfront and 200 after the job is done? Just to prove it."
"I do too have boon, all 400 of it!" Luminous yelled so loud that everyone in the tavern turned towards her. "And if you won't track down Vainglorious, I'll give it to someone else who will!"
Barrett's eyes went wide at the sudden outburst. A muscular white-haired guy walked up to the conversation casually.
"So, you need someone to track Vainglorious for you?" He asked.
"Screw off, Mahzim! She's my client!" Growled Barrett turning towards the foreigner from kingdom white. "She wants the best tracker she could get, and I already agreed!" He yelled, showing his sharp teeth.
The white-haired man held his hands up and backed away. Barrett turned to Luminous, his rosewood eyes tinted red.
"And don't you think you can just get away with stifling me if that's what you're up to! Met me at that back table in ten minutes." Barrett pointed at a table at the back of the tavern, hot breath hitting Luminous ear as he spoke. "And remember if you try to run, I can track you by scent."
With a swish of his red hood, Barrett stomped up the stairs disappearing, leaving Luminous to stand in the middle of the tavern with the Dawn of Fate.
"You don't have any boon on you do you short stuff?" Asked the Dawn of Fate.
"What IF I don't?" Asked Luminous. "Are you going to tell on me?"
"Well you heard dog breath there. He was all like, I have a very particular set of skills, skills I've acquired throughout my career. Skills for dealing with people like you. I will look for you, and I will find you, and I will kill you." Said the Dawn of Fate. "I mean, hasn't your dad ever taught you that it's wrong to lie? Or is he just that kind of cad?"
"I don't have a dad." Said Luminous.
"Oh…" Said the Dawn of Fate. "I uhh.."
"It doesn't bother me, can't miss someone I never knew."
Luminous walked behind Barrett keeping in step with him. She watched his red hood blowing in the night wind along with the red leaves that fell off their trees, only to be stepped on mercilessly by his thick boots.
Barrett also had a bedroll strapped to his side, along with a huge jagged grate sword strapped to his back along with a bow and some arrows, and a satchel with who knows what inside it. When he said he was going in prepared, he meant it.
"So…you get to go camping a lot?" Asked Luminous, looking at the bedroll. "I mean, is that what made you become a tracker?"
But Barrett didn't talk to Luminous. He just kept the blue cloth Master Mouse gave her clutched in his hand, occasionally stopping to smell it before changing directions.
"Are you picking up the wizard's scent in that cloth?" Asked Luminous. "You know, I've heard that some people have children with animals, and that those children are a mix of both animal and human. Is that true? Can that really happen? Like, are you part hound dog or something?"
Barrett stopped dead in his tracks before turning around. His eyes twitch.
"Don't you dare call me a dirty half breed!" Barrett snapped showing his sharp teeth. "Do I look like I'm part animal to you?!"
Luminous froze where she was, staring up at the tall hunter. She could see that there was nothing animalistic about Barrett in appearance.
"I..uh..no...it's just…"
"Any tracker knows how to utilize their senses unless they're incomptent! Do I look incomptent to you?"
"N..No!"
"So don't you dare call me a half bread again!" Growled Barrett before turning around and continuing forward.
Luminous stood in the middle of the pathway staring at Barrett's red hood as it continued to sway.
"Wow, you just don't know when to stop, do you short stuff?" Said the Dawn of Fate. "I would be angry with you if you haggled me like that, then had the gall to call me a half-breed."
"What's so bad about being a half bread?"
"You don't know how dangerous half-breeds are?" Asked the Dawn of Fate. "Just how sheltered are you?"
"Be quiet." Breathed Barrett.
"Ya, ya, I know, you're not a half bread. I get it. I'm sorry." Said Luminous.
"No, I mean, just be quiet," Barrett whispered, holding his muscular arm up in front of her. "You hear that?"
"Grr!"
Luminous faintly heard growling somewhere in front of her. Then she spotted it, a bear hunched over behind a bush in front of them.
"Finkeker?" Asked Barrett looking at the bear.
"Knew him?" Asked the Dawn of Fate.
"He's just another hunter who hangs around the Tavern Den. But, he doesn't usually work alone, he is in a group with a tall woman named Azure, and her hyperactive boyfriend Boi." Said Barrett, not taking his gaze off of the bear. "What's he doing alone out here?"
"Hey there, are you lost?" Asked Luminous waving at the bear. "Do you need help?"
Luminous took a step forward. The bear turned towards her; his red eyes peering into her soul.
"Grr!"
Luminous stopped walking. The looks of the bear sending chills down her spine.
"Don't move a muscle." Said the Dawn of Fate. "He's been corrupted."
Barrett looked at Finker unsure of what was wrong with him.
"Corrup...?"
The bear barreled towards Luminous and Barrett, and in no time was right on top of them. The corrupted bear stood his full ten feet. A paw lifted up in the air to strike Luminous down. She didn't have the time to do anything but stare.
Barrett jumped in front of Luminous holding his black jagged sword up to block. The corrupted bear hit the sword sending Barrett tumbling across the dirt ground, his sword flew in the air until it stuck in a tree behind him.
"Barrett!" Yelled Luminous looking at the tall hunter on the ground.
"Short stuff look…!"
The corrupted bear lifted his paw to strike again, but this time Luminous blocked. The weight of the strike pushed her down to the dirt floor.
"I thought my legs were going to break for a second there." Luminous heaved, being pinned underneath the sword.
"Dagnabbit! What were you thinking?!" Yelled the Dawn of Fate. "You should have dogged! If the huge tank of a hunter couldn't withstand blocking this thing ,what made you think you could?!"
"I..I'm a hero?" Stutterd Luminous.
"*sigh* okay kid, I know one way to get him off, but I'm not optimistic since Soul Connect didn't work…"
The corrupt kept pushing his paw on the sword; his mouth of teeth chomping at Luminous who was pinned underneath.
"Just tell me!" Yelled Luminous.
"Okay, just breath in and focus on the core of your gut." Said the Dawn of Fate. "Point me right at the corrupt…"
Luminous positioned the sword to point at the corrupted bear best she could while being pinned.
"Okay," Said the Dawn of Fate. "...and if the Blade Synchronization works…"
Suddenly the blade of the Dawn of Fate expanded five times bigger than it already was, cutting a chunk of the corrupted bear's arm off. The bear stumbled backwards whining.
"Son of a sly fox, you did it! You actually did it!" Cheered the Dawn of Fate. "I mean terrible aim, but...we can work on that!"
"Ya, look at that…" Luminous painted, her tiny arms shaking under the weight of the enormous blade. "...I…GrAhh!"
Luminous lost her grip on the heavy sword. The Dawn of Fate's vermillion blade stuck into the dirt ground.
"Dagnabbit what now!?" Yelled the Dawn of Fate.
Grabbing the navy blue handle with both hands, Luminous tried to heave the sword off the ground.
"It's not my fault, It's just you put on so much weight that I can't GAHHH!…"
But no matter how hard Luminous pulled the sword wouldn't budge.
"Grr!"
The corrupt bear appeared right by Luminous, his claws were inches from her face. She shut her blue eyes tight thinking this was the end.
"GrrrHaa Haa!"
Luminous opened up her eyes again to see the bear staggering away from her with an arrow stuck in his paw. Luminous looked behind her to see Barrett standing there with a bow in his hand.
"That's right Finker you big tank! I've never liked you anyways!" Yelled Barret waving his bow in the air. "I was always sick of your sickly sweet jolly giant act, so if you want to mess with me and my clients then eat this!"
Barrett knocked another arrow in his bow pointing it at the corrupted bear. But the corrupted bear went back to mindlessly staggering over towards Luminous.
"Hey! Don't you ignore me when I'm shooting you!" Screamed Barrett.
Luminous saw the bear staggering towards her and took off running. Dragging the enormous, heavy Dawn of Fate along the dirt ground with her.
"Oww! Oww! Rocks!" Yelled the sword.
"Well then, change back!" Yelled Luminous. "I can't lift you!"
"Can't change back! You have to do that!"
"What?! How?! I'm not doing it to begin with!"
"But you are! You have to... Duck!"
The corrupt bear slashed at Luminous again, Luminous ducked behind the humongous sword. The corrupts huge claws hit the sword so hard that he knocked it out of the girls' hands sending the girl and the sword flying. Luminous tiny back hit the trunk of the tree with a thud.
"Oww.." Luminous writhed in pain as she slid down to the base of the breach tree.
"Come on short stuff get up!" Screamed the Dawn of Fate from the dirt ground.
Shaking Luminous looked up at the corrupted bear towering above her. The bear lifted his paw to strike. When another arrow stuck into the bear's snout.
"GrrAhh!"
The corrupt growled in pain. Barrett quickly notched his bow again. Taking a deep breath he spoke.
"The world is a field so beautiful and wide, but I can't run with this thorn stuck in my side!"
The arrows feathers flatted at the spoken enchantment. Barrett let go of the string. The arrow flew past the corrupted bear, missing him completely. Barrett held the bow like a remote control, as if being controlled by a string the arrow turned back around striking the bear's tough skin.
Barrett continued firing his enchanted arrows off one by one rapidly until the bear fell backwards onto the ground.
Barrett then pulled his grate sword from his side. Running up to the corrupted bear he swung the large jagged sword at his head. The bear didn't even flinch as the sword collided with his huge face.
The bear grabbed Barrett's giant weapon with one paw. Barrett's eyes widened staring back into the corrupted bear's eyes.
"You're not Finker...what are…"
But before Barrett knew it the bear used the sword he grabbed onto to flip him over.Barrett's red hood filtered in the air as he smashed into the ground.
"Aghh.."
Barrett arched his back trying to get air back into his lunges, his wide eyes staring up at the starry sky as they watered. The bear went to strike the braided brown-haired teen again.
"Don't you touch him!" Luminous heaved, lifting the Dawn of Fate an inch off the ground. "He's my friend!"
The small girl wobbled with the huge sword in her grip. The blade fell forward, slashing the bear across his body.
The corrupted creature stood there for a moment like it was trying to process what had happened, before turning into black dust that scattered to the forest floor.
Luminous and Barrett were left panting, staring at the pile of ash. The Dawn of Fate turned back from his humongous form to his regularly big form.
"Oh, so now you shrink so I can handle you?" Painted Luminous.
"It's not my fault you can't handle big swords."Said the Dawn of Fate. "Plus I'm not controlling it. There is something you did wrong when you connect with me. You have worse control over your sword than a teenage boy does."
"Well, what do I do to fix that?" Asked Luminous.
"I don't know dagnabit, this is the first time I've had this problem with anyone before." Snapped the Dawn of Fate. "And to be honest, it was slightly embracing."
"What was that?" Painted Barrett continuing to look at the big pile of ash. "That wasn't Finker, I mean it kind of looked like him but…"
"As I said, corrupt." answered the Dawn of Fate. "It's what happens when a being gives into the darkness of their hearts desires. They submit to the crow king's will and become a part of his army."
"You knew him?" Asked Luminous. "You kept saying his name was...Finker?"
Barrett shook his head, his long braid hair swaying with the movement.
"Not as much as Azure did…"
"Who?" Asked Luminous.
"She is, she's just...nevermind, she's not important."
Barrett looked over towards Luminous, she had cuts across her skin that started to bleed. Her shorts and button top were war-torn, and her hair was cut lopsided and in a mess. There was also the fact that she looked exhausted, and to be honest so was he.
"You know what, Vainglorious doesn't smell too far away from, wherever he is." Said Barrett dropping the sleeping bag to the ground. "Let's take a long rest."