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Chapter 2
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A girl walked steadily along a dirt trail, leading to the next city. She pulled a small map from her back pocket and looked at it. The city she was headed to was labeled as Ohrowen. She looked up and brushed some of the deep red hair out of her eyes. The wind was starting to pick up on the trail, and she was glad to feel the breeze. She wore a red skirt with a white tank-top under a sleeveless red denim jacket. Holstered at her side was a pistol with a long barrel that had a blade on either side of it. There was a silver pendant with a large ruby in it that dangled from her neck.
"Alright Aria," she said to herself, "You can do this." She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she walked toward the city.
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Wallace awoke to the bright morning sun shining in his eyes. He looked to his left and saw Sarah, still asleep on his shoulder. Jade, who had returned to her feline form, lay sleeping peacefully on the top of the couch.
"Shit!" Thought Wallace to himself, just realizing he had stayed at Sarah's house all night.
He eased up, and using his arms to support Sarah, gently laid her down on the couch. She stirred a bit in her sleep, but didn't wake up. She was off school today, so he didn't wake her up. After grabbing his sword and his other things, he headed toward the door. On his way to the door, he almost tripped on a black figure sitting in front of him.
"Oh Jade! I didn't see you there."
"Where are you going Wallace?" Asked jade.
"I'm going home. Honestly, I'm not supposed to be here. I didn't think I'd fall asleep and-"
"Why aren't you telling Master Sarah?"
"Telling me what?" Came a voice from behind Wallace
Wallace turned and looked at Sarah, "That I should've been home yesterday.." He said in a low voice.
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Wallace got back to his house around 7:30 am, and opened the door to find that Eiya had fallen asleep on the couch, probably waiting for him to come home. At least Sarah had let him leave. He pulled off his shoes and snuck upstairs to his bedroom and laid down on his bed. He drifted off for a while, dreaming restlessly.
Eiya woke up and looked around, noticing Wallace's shoes by the door, headed up to his room. She opened his door and looked down at him. She sighed, glad that he was safe. She went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
"He's got some serious explaining to do." She thought as she smiled and headed downstairs.
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Milen arose looking directly up at a morning sky. She looked to the side and realized upon seeing Lynx that she was laying in his lap. Lynx was still asleep, snoring contently with a small dribble escaping his lips. She rose up and tried hard to remember if the short conversation she remembered from the previous night was real or part of a dream. She stood and shook her head, then stared at the fire pit. The fire they had built was down to a bed of embers. She gathered a few leaves and twigs and put them on the embers, then made a teepee of three small logs around it. She blew it until it caught fire, warmed up a little, and then headed to the river to get some water.
When she reached the river, she drank some water and washed off her face. When she looked up, she thought for a second she saw someone else in her reflection, but realized it was a younger girl with black hair. Milen turned around and looked into the girl's emerald green eyes.
"Umm.. Can I help you?" Asked Milen
"Yes," She said nervously, "My name is Jade. Do you know which way Ohrowen is?"
"Yeah, it's that way." Milen said as she pointed in the direction of the town."
"Thank you," Said jade as she bowed and ran off in the distance.
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Aria continued down the trail until she saw the faint outline of a town. She had been walking all night, stopping only to rest in short increments.
"That must be it," She said to herself.
Her stomach growled and she was growing increasingly tired. She had not had a decent meal or a good night's sleep for a long time. She looked down at the small leather pouch of money that hung from her belt on her side and smiled. The first thing on her mind was food, then she would find a room at a nice comfortable inn. She wasn't in a hurry.
She heard a noise and looked back to notice a girl who had apparently jumped out of the surrounding forest and was running on all fours down the trail at an amazing rate. Aria caught a glimpse of a pair of glowing green eyes as the girl bumped into her, knocking her down to the ground with a thud. She considered chasing after the girl and teaching her a lesson about manners, but decided against it. She was too fast anyway. Aria Stood up and continued walking down the trail.
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Waking to the smell of waffles and bacon, Wallace immediately noticed a growing hunger. He sat up in bed, and looked at the table beside the bed, then, cursing the absence of his clock, he looked at the sun out of the window and estimated the time to be somewhere around ten or eleven o'clock. He sighed and stood up to head downstairs. Once downstairs, Eiya smiled and offered him a plate of food.
"So where were you last night?" She asked, eyeing him curiously.
"I was... At a friend's house. I feel asleep on their couch," he said, hoping to end any questions.
She smiled again and turned to check on some toast, "You were with Sarah last night weren't you?" She giggled.
He averted his eyes to the table, "Well..."
"Oh come on Wallace, you know it's impossible to lie to me."
"Yeah.. I guess so."
"I think you and her make a good couple. Of course that's just my opinion."
His face turned a deep shade of red, "Well.. I.. Umm... Not sure if..."
She laughed heartily, "Aww come on, she likes you. Just look at her. You two act like a couple. All that's missing is the playful sex." she said, giggling.
Wallace was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and tried to push his thoughts aside and focus on eating. He heard a loud bang come from the side of the house, and Wallace shot up in his chair.
"What the hell was that?" Said Eiya.
"I don't know. I'll go check it out." Wallace said as he grabbed his sword and slipped on his shoes.
When Wallace got outside, he saw a gruff man, unshaven and reeking of odors one couldn't imagine. Wallace sighed and shot the man an aggravated look.
"What the hell are you doing Will?" Asked Wallace.
"Well I'm sittin' down enjoyin' this soft grass. What's it to ya stranger?" Said the man.
"You ran into my house."
"Oh that? Nice wall here. Good 'n sturdy."
Wallace sighed, "Ok then. You can leave now." He said as he walked into the house.
When Wallace got back into the house, Eiya was standing, looking at his confused.
"It was just Will again."
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When Lynx finally woke up, it was nearly noon. He looked around and saw Milen drinking out of his flask. Knowing about her low tolerance to alcohol, he rushed over and grabbed the flask from her hand. He noticed that it was nearly empty, and looked down at Milen. She staggered to her feet.
"I wasn't done with that!" She said, her speech slurred noticeably.
"Why were you drinking this?" Lynx asked firmly, holding up the flask.
She shrugged and grinned, "Let's play hide and seek! You're it!" She said as she grabbed him and they fell with her on top of him.
"Agh! Milen! What're you doing? Get off of me!"
"No." she mocked, "You're staying right here."
"What?" Said Lynx, wondering where her strength was coming from.
She licked her lips and leaned down a few inches from his face and whispered, "You're mine."
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Lynx jolted up from his sleeping position on the ground and looked around. It was late morning, and Milen was nowhere to be seen. He stood up and walked over to his bag. He looked inside and found his flask.
"Full..." He said to himself
He walked around their campsite a little more. He was startled by the sound of something running speedily through the forest, but it passed and he shrugged off an uneasy feeling. He walked toward the river, wondering if she might be there, but when he got there, he saw nobody.
He stood at the side of the river, staring. He didn't know why he was so attracted to the water, but he couldn't take his eyes off of it. He was shaken out of his trance by a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Milen.
"Where have you been?" Asked Lynx, slightly shaken
"I've been out in the forest, looking for some good fire wood. I found some sort of cave, and I wanted you to come with me to look inside of it."
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Aria had decided to eat a large steak and some fries. She savored every bite as she consumed the first actual meal she had had in a long time. It was delicious, and once she was through, she looked at the check and reached down to get some money. When she felt her side, the pouch was not there. She frantically searched the area around her. It was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered that girl who ran into her on the trail.
"She stole my goddamn wallet!" Shouted Aria out loud, not meaning to.
She stormed out of the restaurant furiously, going to find the girl. Aria seemed to remember her carrying a shopping list, so she headed off to the market area. There were crates of fruits and vegetables and other items for sale. One large sword in particular caught her eye, but she quickly remembered why she was there. She searched everywhere, but couldn't find her. She gave a frustrated sigh and went to check near the fruits again. There among the many people there, she saw a girl with black hair and emerald eyes crouched near some oranges, observing their quality. Aria immediately knew it was her. She calmed herself and walked up to the girl.
"Excuse me, but I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you." Said Aria in a surprisingly calm manner.
"What?" She responded, looking up at Aria, "Oh, this, I almost forgot." She pulled up the leather pouch and handed it to Aria, "Here, take it."
Aria looked at her, confused, "So you're just going to give it back like that?"
Jade stood up and looked directly into her eyes, "You're Aria, aren't you?"
"Yes, I happen to be. Why?"
"I took your wallet so you would come and find me," She smiled, "A little more interesting way of breaking the ice than just saying 'hi', don't you think?"
"Who the hell ARE you?" Asked Aria, now even more confused
"My name's Jade.. And I believe you're my new apprentice."
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Sarah rested on her couch, waiting for Jade to get home with groceries. She wondered what Wallace was doing. Maybe he was out in the woods, drawing those maps he got paid for. She stood and walked to the kitchen, passing a picture frame with a picture of her and Wallace. It was from the carnival they went to a year ago. She smiled, looking at the picture, but the smile dimmed to a saddened frown. They were best friends, but she felt more than just that. But she tried not to show it too flagrantly. Suppose she asked him out and he rejected her. It would possibly make their friendship awkward, and eventually they might grow apart. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and proceeded to the kitchen where she got another soda from the refrigerator.
"What's taking her so long?" she thought to herself as she popped open the lid and drank her soda in gulps.
She looked out of the window. It was nice and sunny, definitely a day that shouldn't be wasted inside. She left a note in case Jade got home, and headed out to find Wallace.
She exited her house, lifting her nose, faintly smelling his familiar scent. She followed it easily, heading in the direction of his house. She felt a strange feeling, but ignored it and kept walking. She got to his house and knocked at the door. No answer. She knocked again, but still no answer. She tried the door knob, and it was unlocked. She opened the door and leaned in.
"Wallace? Are you here?" She said
She stepped all the way in the doorway and closed the door. She knew where Wallace's bedroom was, so she walked up the stairs to see if he was sleeping. When she got to his room and checked, there was nobody. His scent lingered, but no other signs of him, or anybody.
She froze as a chill ran through her spine. She turned to look behind her and saw a black figure. It was humanoid in form, but had no other features, just a shadow. She looked closer and realized it was shaped like Wallace. It had his scent too.
"What are you?" She voiced unsteadily.
The shadow didn't speak, it just looked up. It opened its mouth, bearing sharp teeth and there was a horrible noise, like a cackling that echoed through the house, then the shadow disappeared into the floor, leaving only that familiar scent behind.
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Milen went on for a little bit and come up to a boulder at the foot of a mountain. She looked at her map, which had the place marked, then back up at the mountain. Then she led him a few feet to the right, and Lynx began to notice the opening of a cave, just perfectly hidden from sight.
"Aha! There it is! Come on Lynx." She said, grabbing him and pulling him into the cave.
The passage was a little narrow at first, and it was dark, so Lynx offered Milen the flashlight. She accepted it and switched it on. They went further into the cave until they reached a very large cavern, lit by the soft green glow of the 'angel eye' rocks inside. She looked around, studying the various rocks and formations. She decided to turn the flashlight off and just see by the light of the glowing rocks. Lynx put it in back in his bag. He had also been thoroughly impressed by the things he saw. Milen walked over to a small, but bright angel eye and held it up, observing it.
"I wonder how this thing glows.." She said, turning it around in her hand.
"It's a chemical reaction. Don't you pay any attention in class" He said.
She shrugged, "I pay about just as much attention as you." She retorted, shoving it in her pocket. Knowing that it would be better than wasting his batteries if they happened to come across a dark place again, Lynx put a few in his bag too. It illuminated the items inside. He saw the glint from the flask.
He shook a little, remembering his dream, and closed his bag, "So, where to now?"
Suddenly, a tremor shook the cave, making a few rocks fall from the ceiling. There was a loud sound, like two large rock slabs scraping against each other. Lynx and Milen froze, feeling their hearts beating in their throats. Fear flooded Lynx's mind.
"What the hell was that?!" Asked Milen, on the verge of panicking
"I'd say it was a small earthquake.." He responded.
"Will there be any more?"
"I'm not sure," he looked up at the top of the cave, "But there might. I'm sorry Milen, but we're gonna have to get out of here. Now."
"Aww.. Dammit. Well I'd say it's better than being crushed by a rock"
He nodded and they headed towards the exit. There were several light tremors following the first one, but none any larger. They followed the narrow path, but Lynx realized about halfway through that the path had become much narrower. They continued onward, but soon came to a dead end. The cave had grown shut.
"Oh my god..." Said Lynx, stepping back, "It's closed off."
"It's what?!"
"It's closed off." He repeated, trying not to panic.
"Well then, what should we do?"
"I don't know," He said, barely keeping his composure, "Maybe we should go back and try to find another way out."
She started back the other way. They ended back at the open area where they had found the angel eye rocks. From here there was only one other way to go. Deeper into the cave.
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"Hey! Wake up!"
Sarah opened her eyes and saw a pair of eyes staring at her face. It was Wallace. She looked around and found herself laying in Wallace's bed, wondering if his room had always looked so big. Wallace was holding her up, supporting her weight in his arms. Suddenly, she remembered what she had seen before passing out. She gave a whimper and hugged Wallace tightly. He hugged her back, somewhat confused.
"What's wrong Sarah?" Asked Wallace with audible concern.
"I saw something. Something bad. While I was looking for you."
"Huh, what did you see?" Asked Eiya who had been standing near Wallace.
"It was black, like a shadow, and it looked like Wallace, but it didn't have a face."
"What? A shadow?" Repeated Wallace, surprised and curious.
"What's that on your arm?" Asked Eiya, noticing something on Sarah's arm.
Sarah and Wallace both looked at it. It was similar to a bruise, having a deep blue tint, but it covered most of her lower arm. Sarah touched it with the tips of her fingers. It was sensitive, like most bruises, so she withdrew her fingers and left it alone.
Sarah sat up and looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry Wallace, I shouldn't have been here. It's my own fault."
"Sarah.." Wallace started to speak, but his words seemed to be caught in his throat.
There was a knock at the front door, so Eiya went down to check it. Wallace and Sarah sat, wondering who it was. They soon saw a figure darting up the stairs, and it became apparent who it was.
"Master!" Jade shouted, before pouncing on Sarah.
Sarah winced and pain and fell backwards. Jade sensed her master's pain and pulled herself off of her. She stared at Sarah's bruise and looked back up at her face.
"What happened master?" Asked Jade with concern.
"I don't know. It happened after I passed out. I probably fell."
"Passed out? Are you ok? What happened to make you pass out? Tell me."
Jade was speaking too fast for her questions to be answered.
"We can talk about it when we get home." Said Sarah.
"I think you should have Wallace stay with you tonight to make sure you're ok." Eiya urged, giving a small wink towards Wallace.
Wallace stiffened, "Well I'm not sure if-"
Eiya cut him off "Nonsense, you should look after your best friend." She said, emphasizing the last two words.
"Ok." Said Wallace, nodding.
"Well, we'd better get going." Sarah voiced, standing up
Jade stood and looked at Sarah, "Oh, I almost forgot, there's someone I want you to meet."
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Aria stood outside a strange house, leaning against the outside wall. She was beginning to get impatient. Jade had told her to wait there, but she was tempted to simply walk to a nearby inn. It was already starting to get dark, and she wanted to lay down somewhere and go to sleep. She heard the door open and looked to see Jade accompanied by another girl, and a boy, both about her age. Jade signaled her to come over and join them as they started down the road.
"This is my new student, Aria." Said Jade, proudly.
Wallace had taken notice of her finely toned body and exceptional looks. He offered his hand to shake, "Nice to meet you, Aria."
She took his hand and firmly shook it, then turned her gaze to Sarah, "You must be Jade's master, Sarah."
"Yes, I am." Responded Sarah, smiling.
As Sarah extended her hand for Aria to shake, there was a noise from above in a nearby tree, then a dark, motion-blurred figure leaped at Aria, contacting with her and sending her flying toward the ground. Aria quickly gained her sense of gravity in the air, and arching her back and shifting her weight backward, she extended her left arm below her and dug her fingers into the ground to stop moving. Then, with the other hand, she drew her gun as she sprung backward to her feet and fired three rounds. She missed twice, but hit her target with the third bullet. It let out a deafening howl and charged at Aria.
"Jade!" Shouted Sarah, standing upright, with astounding composure.
"Right!"
As the figure charged at Aria, Jade followed her master's command and ran toward it. Aria dodged the attack just as jade jumped on the furry back of the beast. It began to claw toward it's back, but couldn't get Jade off. She uttered a short chant then struck the sides it its head with the palms of her hands. It howled again, this time in distress and pain as it's eyes glowed bright green and with one last screech it fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"What the hell was that thing!?" Demanded Wallace, wide-eyed and shocked.
"A tree devil," Answered Aria, "They're known for hiding in the tops of trees and feeding off of the spirit energy of travelers, usually on roads between towns, though they're not native to this area. I have no idea why this one was here... And by the way, what did you do to it, Master Jade?"
"That was a cerebral transmutation technique."
"What's that?" Asked Wallace.
"It turned its brain into a chunk of lead." Answered Sarah, her accent putting a certain kind of seriousness on the words.
"I can teach it to you later if you want, Aria." Said Jade, smiling.
"Umm.. Yeah, that'd be nice, Master Jade."
"Please, call me Jade."
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The temperature inside the cave was warmer than outside, and Lynx could tell that the elevation had dropped. He estimated that at this point, they had been walking through the "person sized" cave for about three kilometers, and they were approximately 50 meters below ground. By now, it was sure to be dark outside. Lynx sighed, at the dull green light cast on the cave walls as they passed trough. There had been several light tremors, and there were some loose rocks around, but they had learned to ignore it relatively fast.
"How much longer do you think we're going to walk?" Asked Milen
"Probably longer than I want to think about."
"Oh.."
"Hey, look!" said Lynx, pointing ahead.
She looked ahead and saw a faint light. No doubt, it was another large cavern, dotted with angel eye rocks. When they got to the cavern, Lynx sat his sword and satchel down on a rock and sat down on the ground.
"This will be a nice place to rest." He said, laying back on the ground.
"If you say so." Said Milen, sitting beside him.
Lynx looked up at the roof of the cave, wondering how much further they had to go to get out, or even if there was an exit. He started to drift off. Sometime between consciousness and sleep he felt Milen lay down beside him and lay her head on his shoulder. He could smell her familiar scent as he finally drifted off to solid sleep.
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