Hina and Jaden had made their way out of the forest situated close to the Borders of Connection. The pair was out of breath, having to fight a Purik that took the shape of a bunny and began to strangle Jaden. Hina stops underneath a nearby oak-tree, shrouding herself in the shade and resting for a few minutes. Jaden joins her at the stump where the roots split off into different sections
"How do we find Ash?" Jaden says in deep breaths as he drinks gallons of water
"She's in The Tower of Doe Cap, a tower floating in-and-out of space and time"
She was right of course, the tower did such a thing. The tower was built by humans who wanted to keep the mystic arts and potion-creating hidden from the outside world. Like the other regions of Yomar it was built in a time where the kingdoms did not converse with each other. Humans had built the tower with polished-blackstone, stolen from the orcs' land. The mystic arts that they learnt by opening themselves to unlimitless possibilities allowed them to imbue the tower with the magic of invisibility. It took seven humans to cast the enchantment strong enough to allow the tower to exist in-and-out of space and time. It was the equivalent of trying to jump onto a moving cart, timing was key and failing the timing could cut a part of your body.
"The tower comes to you, not you to it", Hina says, sitting down on the patch of grass, "we wait"
Jaden plops down in front of Hina, his gaze fixated on him and he flashes a smile. She laughs at his awkwardness
"So...since we have time to ourselves what should we talk about?"
"I'm not quite sure, haha"
"What do you remember about the past?" Jaden asks, lying down facing the clouds
"I don't think I remember a lot…"
Hina hadn't remembered a lot, yet her memories about her childhood was the only detail that was kept in her library of thoughts. She recalled her first steps as a child, the maids in the palace gleefully clapping, jumping in excitement. Hina had a particular maid, Sana Agnes, who you could compare to as a godmother of sorts. Most of her childhood, Sana had been a prominent figure, especially towards the days her mother grew ill and had passed. She recalls her mother's comforting smile, the smell of her raven-hair comforting all she met. Treasuring 'tea-time' or games of a similar kind. Hina also remembers her father's netherite armour standing ghostly in the corner of a room she knew not the name of. Although, why was there a purple-shimmer? Was it always there?
Jaden, too, remembered sections of his childhood, and the moments leading up to the battle for the dragon were but a haze. Ever since he was born, Bomar was all he knew. He was a lively boy, not liking when the villagers would restrict his freedom. Jaden would explore every crevice of the island; each hill, each forest and cave that existed. During hide-and-seek Jaden would always win, and while he found satisfaction in his victories it caused his friends to lose interest. Jaden also held onto memories about his mother, she being the only parent that had great impact in his life. His father, though a tyrant would be a more appropriate label, was an abusive husband who's lust for power became his downfall. Jaden was able to escape his wrath due to his mother's friend, who rode a boat to Bomar where they could take asylum
"I'm sorry, love", Hina says sitting up
"Why?"
"I'm sorry you had to experience such a life"
"It's alright. I have my mum and true-father. What more could I-"
And Jaden shivers before he could finish his sentence. Hina notices the direction of the leaves change from south to north, and she urges Jaden to get ready
"The tower is here"
They wait. The wind intensified as time passed. Suddenly, the tower appeared before the pair, startling them. It was relatively miniature in size, no taller than the walls of a church bell-tower. Hina grabs Jaden and pushes through the spruce-door into a dimly-lit room, lanterns hovering throughout the long hallway. They compose themselves as they walk down the neverending-path
"Are you sure this is a tower?"
"Trust me, Jaden, we're where we need to be"
They continue, the sound of their feet reverberating through the corridor, making their presence known. Hina squinted into the distance, the lanterns didn't really assist her as their spaced-out distance gave false hope. Even so the blackstone surrounding the pair clouded their vision, giving the illusion of an abyss. It came to a point where the door they had entered disappeared, or never existed. Jaden turned back -- or forwards, who knew at this point -- and noticed the stone closer than before. Was it there before, he had thought and faced Hina.
"The-"
"I know", her breath becoming rigid, "it's moving"
The blackstone came closer, closer and closer, causing Hina and Jaden to move against the wall. The ceiling above them opened, a potion was dropped in the middle and they both levitated.
"Welcome to The Tower of Doe Cap, Jaden", a lady called out. Her voice was bright, yet mysterious
They both looked up the tower, the sense of gravity was different. Some witches were upside-down, others were walking up the side and the lady talking to them was hovering in the middle of the tower at an unusual angle. They could see more corridors sprouting in various directions, there was a small section of shelves situated sideways where mages were around the table. The lady dropped down gracefully and landed without any injury. She meets the pair half-way, and she adjusts her glasses
"Ash?"
"Hey, girl, who's this?" Ash asks, squinting, "oh shit, it's the President…"
"Hi, love", Hina flashes a smile
"Well, what can I do for you both?"
Jaden had taken the time to explain the situation, Ash was interested in the prospect of saving the world and agreed to find the eye of enders in Neon Kingdom. Ash told them to stay for the night, picking up in the morning at first light. They had looked at the map for the locations Steven suggested they go to and decided that the Sallytok Fuenji Mines was a good start
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Mr J runs ahead of Franni who's hood is shrouding him from the dust blazing against him. He looks down but holds out a stone to guide him through the blistering winds and scorching desert. He looks up at Mr J running around and playing in the sand, submerging himself in the warmth, and returning to collect some water. He looks back behind him to see his footprints disappearing as the sand covers them, the imprint of the direction gone. Whether he was going to Yusev Udet or some other location was unknown to him. The horizon disappeared. All that was before was the storm. Mr J returns back to Franni, and he jumps onto his satchel then onto his back as the pair continue walking.
Some significant amount of time had passed. Mr J was sleeping, but Franni kept walking, a trail of dead phantoms laying on the floor in a failed attempt to maim the sorcerer. The moon was shining in the darkness of the night, the stars accompanying their friend. Franni's sigil was still in hand, a compass of some-sort that directed him to Yusev Udet, his cloak protecting him from the monsters of the night. He heard stories of zombies, creepers and skeletons spawning at night, before the kingdoms decided to light each section of their lands. Creatures that would blow upon contact, dead people rising from the ground and mutilating others who were alive
Franni stops just against a hill, a cactus appearing on his left and a creeper staring at him, his gaze doesn't waver as it leaves to wander somewhere else. If I keep walking, the sooner I can rest, he says to himself. He had walked for a day and a half, resting rarely to consume food and play with Mr J. He stands again, climbs over the sandy-dunes and spots the city of Yusev Udet, it's reputation precedes it. It was brightly lit with torches, there was a sandstone barrier surrounding it with only a wooden gate connecting the outside, and acacia trees sparingly across the lands. It was bigger than most claimed it to be. Franni sees archer towers, yet there were no guards to protect the city. A TNT cannon but unmanned. He collapses the sigil into an emerald and drops it onto the sand, watching it expand into a portal and he steps in landing inside the walls, a corner in a street darkened by the night. He removes the hood, lifting the spell and walks onto the empty street of Yusev Udet. He looked at his surrounding, sand-urns situated next to doors filled with food, warm-coloured carpets in front of the doors and torches lighting the area. It was unnervingly silent considering the city's reputation was surrounded by battling creatures of the night. He reaches into his satchel for a pebble. He ignites it with an emerald flame and lifts high. Franni watches it spin rapidly, stop then begin moving forward, and he chases after it.
Franni follows the stone until the sound of chanting, thunderous stomping and roars become louder with each step. He returns the stone to his pocket, and he notices Mr J awaken to the noise radiating from the enormous arena north-west of the gate. He cloaks himself in invisibility, claws his hand midair and tears the fabric of the dimension, creating safe passage into the arena. The fight continues above him, dust and sand crackling downwards with every charge or slam the gladiators inflicted upon each other. He follows the thunderous chanting beneath the colosseum into the preparation rooms where the warriors readied themselves for battle. Franni spots the unfortunate warriors trapped beneath this cage preparing for battle, some praying to a deity for solace, or boasting in the glory of battle and their strength, others cowering in a corner, innocence still attached to them. He sympathises with them, but proceeds with the mission, Michael, Goldensaw. The crowd cheers above the stadium
'Excuse me', he confronts a guard carrying a shield, diamond sword and only a chest-plate, 'I'm looking for Goldensaw'
'Find him yourself', he scoffs
Franni chuckles accordingly then snaps his fingers and holds the spell to the forehead, the guards eyes roll backwards. Franni closes his eyes to search through the memory bank of the pathetic fool, and he smiles, discovering Michael to be fighting at the same time. He drops his hand and the weak man falls to his knees. Franni makes his way to the staircase at the end of the hallway, turning at the second right and up to the main grounds, up to the battlefield. It was scorched. The grounds were painted crimson that one could mistake this for red terracotta, with a mix of yellow and orange. He looks around the stadium. It was bigger than he had anticipated. The masses were an accumulation of humans, orcs, elves and dwarves participating in their lust for blood. A gust of wind brushes against Franni though he doesn't falter. He spots a viewing booth directly opposite from him. The leader of Yusev Udet is probably there, he thinks. Someone screams, another roars and in the midst the dust cloud collapses revealing Michael at the centre.
Michael was still alive, keeping a few meters away from the Kolki -- a creature from the shadows, moving eerily, lifeless, faceless creatures -- who had made its way to him in sharp movements. The other person in the battle was being eaten by an Adekop -- a deformed creature that was once human, only to be exposed to the darkness of Briyaki tal -- whose teeth and hands were enraptured in the stomach of the warrior. One was onto her legs, munching away at the thighs, while the other had separated her head from the body, making its way through the skull and into the juicy brain, popping an eye in the meanwhile
Franni doesn't move from the entrance, watching Michael survive from the outskirts. Michael smiles at the shadow creature, moving his eyebrows up-and-down in a suggestive manner, and tightens the grip of his axe. It sways creepily in the wind, waiting for the attention of the Adekop to go onto the remaining meat-sac. It does and the creatures charge at him. Michael fires a frenzy of arrows with a bow, the Kolki unfazed as it passes through. The Adekop pants crazily as they reach him, but he cuts them down with his axe, hacking their jaws off. Despite their dislodged mouths they continue at him, and he just laughs in pity, ending their lives with aggressive hacking. The Kolki moves across the field, pulls back its arm and propels it at Michael. He jumps into a roll towards the torches laid around the battle, standing up to collect it and set the creature on fire. But he can't reach it. The creature has tethered itself to Michael's ankle, he turns to see a creepy smile spread across its face as it pulls Michael closer to it. Michael drops to the floor but he entrenches his axe into the sand, fighting against the strength of the creature. He lifts the axe and severs the shadows arm, giving him enough time to reach for the torch. He lights an arrow on fire and the creatures watches it whistle into its body, lighting it on fire
The crowd cheers in delight, and sheer joy of the blood spilt on the battlefield. They were satisfied and it was explicitly seen on the sinister smiles spread across their faces. It was in their fists punching the air aggressively, their jumps in the space they have. It was horror, but a transcendent form of beauty revealed only to those whose blood was as strong as their will. Michael lifts his arms into their and punches them aligned with the beat of their chant, and he bows and wipes the sweat from his forehead, returning to the underground. Along the way he stops in front of Franni, flashes a smile and continues underneath
'I need you, Michael…' it causes him to stop a few steps deep into the ground, and he turns slightly back to the hooded figure, 'I need your help'