After making mess of yet another helpless location we were on the road again boldly venturing forward towards the dam, when a very unpleasant thought struck.
“I just realized something.” I said out loud.
“What has been eating on your mind this time?” Asked Niall looking over at me.
I took a breath to calm myself. “We could have asked the demon to send a shuttle to take us there, with enough coxing I am sure they could make an exception for us.”
“Mother of a mangonel!”
“Yes, annoying is it not? I am almost considering burning down a building to summon a magical girl.”
“While I appreciate the initiative. I’m not going to get arrested for destruction of public property. It is bad enough that we keep destroying private property.” The scenery went from a bustling city to an industrial complex along a very long road. Said path went from one side of the dam to the other. Jennyfer decided to suddenly speak for better or worse.
“I am beginning to second guess our course ahead. While this massive structure of stacked stone is a marvel to behold. I am almost expecting it to burst.”
“Please stop jinxing us.”
“With our track record, I expect it to happen.”
“I can not argue with that.” Was my reply and suddenly I had the urge to find another way down.
“Whatever, nothing ventured, nothing gained and look at this fantastic view! I really need to find some binoculars.” He pulled out the tablet and began flicking through the list. However something clearly went wrong. “We might have a small problem, nothing to worry about,”
“What did you do Niall?” Asked Jennyfer, clearly concerned.
“Well, you see. I have no idea what I’m looking at.” When I looked over at the spot he was standing on I saw a boiling splotch on the dam fence. Where something had clearly impacted the bar with a splash and tumbled off the edge.
“Looks like you spilled something to me.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“So you accidentally polluted the drinking water of millions?”
“I will neither confirm, or deny that.”
“Comforting.”
“The system glitches out on me and the labels are written in alien squiggles that makes my head spin.” He pointed at the tablet and I tried to read the text. The moment I gazed upon the screen, I immediately clutched my head in searing pain. “I can see what you mean and I wish I did not.” I had to lean against the fence until I hurt less.
“It sure is one long drop to the bottom. Oyh Kine! Don’t balance on the railing, or there will be no snuggling.” That certainly made her stop. He was also straining to hold his left arm in check. Was Sara trying to push Kine over the edge?
I would not like to see the result of someone falling from up here. I might not suffer from height fright, but I have height respect.
“The view is certainly worth it.” I said letting my gaze rest upon the horizon. “However I dread the rest of the trip across. This place is massive and I do not feel like using the board, not that I think they will allow us.”
“Quite making so much sense, it’s not like we’re gonna collide with some random pedestrian and bowl them over. Then have them swear up a storm of profanities, because they failed to heed your warning.”
“You are being awfully specific there Niall, are you speaking from experience?”
“Nah, running into people from behind never, ever happened. He totally walked backwards into the fast moving skateboard.”
“The more I get to know about you, the more I wonder how you actually survived this long.”
“Survie? Surely you jest. I’m pretty much a slave to the whims of spiritual beings beyond mortal comprehension.”
“Stop being such a downer, I have been with you the whole way and I’ve yet to actually see you fatally wounded enough to have your entrails spill out. I am sure you will be fine.” Interjected the insufferable fairy. People were quick to move out of the way when they overheard us.
“Magellan, why are they being so very careful around Kine?” Asked Niall quietly.
“Magical girls are revered after all.”
“Feared is more like it.”
“Why would anyone be afraid of our noble protectors?”
“Overwhelming firepower.”
“Whatever, why do we not just go over there and take a picture. You know, act like tourists for once?”
“Alright, Kine are you coming?”
It was rather obvious that the architect put a lot of pride and thought into his work. As we got closer to the middle there were several observation platforms equipped with telescopes. It was a clear public favourite. Some of the people actually had cameras and were taking pictures. They were starting to become more commonplace it seemed, but I doubt they are as practical as the tablet. Someone like me ought to find a way to replicate the technology and the design. Stealing it would be a bit hard and stupid.
“I am a bit curious Jennyfer, do you have some sort of schematics for something akin to the tablet you are using?”
“Trying to bring about a technological revolution? How devious, young caterpillar.”
“Is that so wrong?”
“Not really, I’m sure I can dig something up. When I’m done here whatever happens to the world is of no consequence.”
“That is not very heroic.”
“No choice really, once we acquire whatever it is that caused this we’re most likely whisked away from here and dumped into a new world.”
“Now you are just pulling my leg.”
“Normally. However it was how we got here in the first place.”
“Really?”
“Dead serious, I am but a servant of a mighty power and this quest is one I am forced to undertake. However I have no clue as to what shape, or appearance it has taken.”
No wonder Niall just rolls with all the madness that is thrown at his face. He has no choice but to be a puppet of paranormal forces. Just how many things reside within his body, using him as a convenient vessel? Kine is one of them, is she not? Just like Sara, the sword, Jennyfer, and the purple arm. I shudder to think about what that would do to a regular human, or what would happen if he were to die.
“Wow, the view is even better from over here, come one Kine get over here and try out the binoculars.” She eagerly listened to an explanation on how to operate the device, I decided to try out the other one, once the unassuming couple occupying the spot moved on. Niall was right, from up here everything looked absolutely fantastic. Down below by the river was a very peculiar looking town. From the looks of it, whomever designed the layout loved squares. Every structure was situated on interconnected stone squares that followed the winding river down towards a fairy big whirlpool. A vortex surrounding a big, blue crystal.
“Do you know anything about this object, mage?” Inquired Jennyfer with her usually snide tone.
“A recurring loop, that sends water from down there, to up here.”
“Such a brilliant idea, I wonder how they solved the energy expenditure?”
“Magic!”
“That is such a bad explanation.”
“Can not argue that, but it is the only one I have.” Which is the truth I know, and the truth shut her up for a bit.
Niall brought out his tablet again and looked a bit forlorn, before he began to speak. “I really wish there was some sort of zoom function on the camera. It is just not good enough to capture the view in good quality.”
I was not entirely sure what to say about that. “Do I look like a photographer? If you need better pictures, get one of those big bulky cameras the various tourists are lugging around.”
He mulled it over for a bit it seems like. “You bring up an excellent point. Hey, Jennyfer do we have any way to develop film?”
“On the fly? Nope and I never had to in the first place. You’ll have to find someone else to impart that knowledge, besides I’m not tra.”
“Blasted buttfungus.”
A bit later we went on our merry way across the structure. It took a lot of time and I suddenly remembered I had no working timepiece. The music player worked like a charm though, so at least something was working as intended.
Niall suddenly froze and began nervously looking around. The ears on top of Kine was twitching in anticipation. I heard a resounding boom and as I turned towards the sound Niall shouted out a warning. Something impacted my stomach with enough force to send me flying over the railing. My shoulders felt like they were about to get pulled off, when I barely caught the edge in time. I felt my hands slipping and my strength failing, but before I was about to fall I went into wraith form and managed to flail myself onto solid ground again.
The thing that had burst out from the stone building had been a man once. Now colorful crystals was bursting out from the back of the hunched over monstrosity.
“What in the world is that thing?” Shouted Niall pointing his sword at the big, burly brute.
“Guess who’s back!” Growled the face that hung around the neck of the creature. It was a familiar face indeed. The insufferable git from the forest was back. “Time for payback through public pummeling, followed by a glorious execution of degenerate filth.”
“I will never give you the pleasure fiend!” Was my reply as I challenged the man, despite my better judgement. I was concentrating on preparing a spell when I felt my legs give out. Someone came from behind and threw balls on a rope at my legs.
“None of that you hear. We can’t have the pastel powered pawns come too early to the party.”
“How are you still alive?” Asked Niall from behind the remains of a wall.
“Crystals, that’s how. The very world itself is built on these babies.” He took the initiative smash his palm into the floor nearly skewering Kine. Whom somersaulted over the crystal and began flinging fist shaped ice sculptures at his face. Which actually left a bloody bruise below the eye.
“A magical girl Wight? Has the queen truly resorted to employ these filthy mongrels?” The fairy sent a lightning strike at our enemy, which got absorbed by his gem encrusted shoulders.
“Time to erase this pest from my world. You are nothing but a failed experiment.” Apparently the crystal got charged up by the lightning and energy began to crackle between the gaps.
“He is about to cast magic.” I shouted out loud, squirming myself out of the way. I had no time to untangle myself from the Bola. Who actually threw that in the first place was very hard to tell, since all of the bystanders were running away screaming, or was busy spectating. I sorely wished I was a bystander and not the target.
A surge of energy hit Kine hard and sent her skidding across the floor. Her hair and fur stood out straight from the static.
“How are you even still alive you demented domestic terrorists?” I barely head Niall say through gritted teeth.
“Crystals you baboons, Crystals. They’re so much more than an invasive silicate.”
“Really? Also behold my new technique!” Niall charged ahead, loudly screaming, “pocket sand!” I was flabbergasted by his insane idea. He threw sand at the enemy face, while ducking under a flailing right hook, cutting into the limb, drawing blood. He narrowly dodged the left one. I went wraith and got out of my predicament, when my skull nearly got crushed by an armed assailant, someone had hit me hard. Behind me stood a man with the most outlandishly tall and shimmering green Mohawk I have ever seen. He was armed with a weird and dangerous looking weapon, dangerous to the user that is. Who joins two sticks with a chain to twirl them around like a loon.
“Prepare to meet your demise heathen!” Shouted the man charging at me swinging the karate sticks over his head. Despite seeing stars, I focused my will and shouted “Flash!”. Bright light burst from my palm. The person got startled and managed to hit himself in the back of the head, knocking him down. Which gave me ample opportunity to kick him hard enough to hear ribs crack as the sod curled up into a fetal position. Who should have thought such a weapon would be a good idea to use?
Niall came sliding towards me on his back, while Kine had jumped onto the back of the massive man. Where she was pounding one of the huge protruding pylons, he began to shake rapidly throwing her off and straight into Niall that was just getting onto his feet. From the corner of my eye I caught the glimpse of movement. I immediately stumbled backwards clumsily. A very stern looking woman in a mask was trying her best to impale me upon her ornate spear. She was also donning a black tactical turtleneck and a mouth concealing mask.
“Mumble, mumble!” She tried to say something I suppose.
“I can not understand your, but a fireball might fix that speech impediment.”
Her eyes widened in panic and she lunged straight at me. However talking is not a free action and I had just enough juice cast a searing ball of molten fire straight through her chest. A huge blast buffeted us and she was sent smoking over the railing.
“What is this insanity? Bring your antiques to work and maiming day?”
“Yes.” Shouted a skinny toothpick of a person swinging a ridiculous huge ball on a stick. The giant lollipop came down hard onto my big toe. I failed to dodge properly in time. Jennyfer touched the back of my assailant’s neck sending enough electricity into the body make the hair smoke.
“We gotta go something. We’re being swarmed by Mc Dojo disciples.” Said Niall back paddling towards my position.
“Hey it is a real gym!” Shouted a plump man wielding a rake in our direction. The big boss was busy shaking Kine off his back. Niall intercepted the rake locking it in place after wrangling it out of the way. I threw another fireball and another person was knocked out with third degree burns. The smell of burnt pork and burnt hair filled the air. Another turtleneck twerp pushed through the crowd twirling a ball on a chain connected to a sickle. The chain itself wrapped itself around Nialls sword causing a brief tug o’war. Niall was a lot stronger and tugged the chain hard enough to pull the person onto his sword. Crimson liquid squirted out from the stab wound as the man died.
A big bellied booze came stomping toward us carrying a long stick with a hammer and a beak attached to a pointy edge. As he charged in Niall was too slow to react and let go of his sword to block his vitals. The beak got lodged into his hand with a sickly crunch. He grabbed the edge with his sword arm and the weapon instantly evaporated. Leaving the big bully dumbfounded as I lit his hair on fire. It was satisfying to see run away. The stink was absolutely terrible though.
I had almost forgotten about the boss when Kine came crashing into me, knocking the air from my lungs.
“So hard to get good help these days, and here I just wanted to kill a lot of Wight and cleanse the world of their filth. I intend to start with this fox and the flying mosquito that keeps buzzing around.” The man had broken into a monologue, which left him open to a strike I could not capitalize on.
“Do I look like a bug to you? Amusing words coming from a foolish mortal mangy mutt.”
“So the little bug can speak, how curious?”
“I’m not from your miserable world.”
“That must mean you are the one responsible for this blasted cataclysm and the Wight.”
“Great, he’s both willfully ignorant and dense.”
I shouted “look at this!” Before I flashed him with bright light. He grunted loudly, but Jennyfer took this opportunity to jab him in the face with a syringe. If it had any effect I could definitely not see it. The crowd had by now dispersed and the few who were left were standing a fair distance away searching the action. A bunch of them were even eating popcorn, seriously?
“Was that supposed to do something doll?” The creature laughed and flicked the fairy away.
“Yes! Also your justification for your rampage is about as flimsy as toilet paper tissue and you smell like you just came out of one.”
“And you are about as useful as roadside gum stuck under the sole of a shoe.” He stomped the ground with his stumpy foot sending disorienting shock waves. I failed my concentration check and my attempted spell fizzled out.
Nialls hand hung limp by his side, blood flowing freely and pooling around his feet. He charged the boss again stabbing his sword to the hilt, through its foot.
“You son of a beech! That actually hurt.” He grunted out back handing Niall. Despite the gashing wound no blood came out, how curious.
“Was becoming a monster to fight monsters and the untold sacrifices really worth it?” Asked niall with laboured breaths.
“A pleasant side effect, because I have become so much more.”
“Hypocrite”
“A means to an end, something you would not understand, I am here to save the world.”
The fox rolled her eyes and cracked her knuckles, then she began to blow out a steady stream of cold air. A chill mist saturated the air blurring my vision. Suddenly she catapulted herself into the air by projecting ice from her soles. Once she reached the peak of her arch, a huge ice hammer was conjured up and she came crashing down onto one of the back pylons shattering it. The result was a blast of shrapnel that pelted all of us, from what I could see at least. I tried yet again to concentrate, but my head was spinning and suddenly I was on all four. Niall came shuffling over chugging a potion, pushed me onto my back with his foot.
“Great, now my sides hurt as well.” Some of the elixir he poured down my gullet spilled onto my outfit when I had a violent coughing fit.
“Suck it up buttercup. Is it just me, or have we been through this song and dance before?”
“Yes another big bulky boss trying to murder us.”
The drink made my dizziness lessen just enough to raise my hand and conjured up a ball of darkness in my clenched hand. I successfully threw the spell at our assistant and somehow hit him through the obscuring mist. A moment later an angry roar could be heard and Kine came skidding towards us on skates of ice. A man sized chunk of crystal crashed into the ground behind her.
“A brute should never strike a maiden of such natural beauty.” A man in a purple tuxedo cam twirling onto the battlefield, causing the frigid mist to turn into a magnificent vortex, until it dissipated. A lot of tulips had struck the creature we where fighting with pin point accuracy.
“Flowers really?”
“Unfit for a villainous cur such as yourself I know. Do not mistake the flowers as a harness parlor trick.”
“Now the useless servants shows up, how typical. You have time to care about me, but et the Wight go free.”
U”Despite their unusual appearance, they are still the queens subjects.”
“They are freaks of nature, unnatural abominations born from death.”
“Would you say no to a second chance at life, even if your appearance changed and your voice vanished?”
“Yes! Death is the end, the natural conclusion of life.”
The enforcer struck out his hands and began to chant.
“I so dislike dealing with fanatics, they never see the big picture.” The tulips began to take root and multiplied themselves across the surface like a finely woven net of roots.
“Bah, your pathetic parlor tricks does not impress me, enforcer. You are worse than the Wight pretending to be a magical girl. If you will not stand with me in cleansing the abomination, you will die.” Energy surged from the three remaining pylons on his back, two had been crushed. The flowers bloomed into flame and disintegrated. He was grabbing around blindly and got hold of a turtleneck wearing corpse, which he flung in my direction. Incapable of moving I had to rely on my very exhausting shield. Blood and viscera flew everywhere as the corpse bounced off my dome in a gruesome display as my bursting defense catapulted it further into the air.
“I am sorely tempted to just run away from here and leave it to the government.” I said to Niall.
“We are in no condition to do anything. You look like crap, my arm is broken, and Kine is getting weary as well. Besides, I do not expect the freak to leave us alone.”
“What do we do then?”
“Fight! Come one Kine, let’s crush those Crystal’s. I’ll stab him in the crotch, while you punch the pylon on top.” Despite his bluster, his approach was anything but smooth. The tulip thrower kept throwing flowers with pinpoint accuracy at the thing, a welcome distraction. True to his plan Niall ran his blade through the spot where it is located, while Kine climbed up on the back. A painful shrill shriek rang out and Niall was kicked across the ground. The fox went tot town on a pylon, pulverizing it, before being shook off by the boss, she flopped onto the floor and got a crunching punch to the belly for her effort. Jennyfer was pulling out one of those odd grenades of her, an improbably large segmented one with a pin. She flew up high and dropped it onto the back of the beast. She then skirted away and vanished with a pop. A deafening explosion rocket the dam surface and a pylon went up in a plume of smoke and fire. “You insufferable curs, I shall remember this.” The being somehow opened a portal in the pieces of shattered Crystal’s on the floor and fell through. Niall limped over to the mangled body of Kine, who smiled weakly giving us a thumbs up.
“Do you swallow?.” Said Niall pouring a potion into kines mouth. “We really need a dedicated party healer, these potions are a stop gap measure at best, and I am running out.”
“I am not familiar with any such spell, maybe a hospital got some. I have never been more hurt in my life than tagging around with the lot of you.”
“Career hazard, but we’ve already been over this.” The dainty dressed enforcer swaggered over to us and gave Kine a red tulip. “Anyone care to explain what is going on here?” The man asked me.
“We were attacked by this monster of a man, that has been all over the place and causing a ruckus and now he is out for revenge, or something.”
“You have run into this thing before?”
“Yes, he kept sacrificing people to figure out how Wights are made and now he want to cleanse the world of them I guess.”
“Fantastic, just fantastic. You better be on your merry way then there is a lot of clean up to be done.”
The dam looked like a a warzone, but the sturdy structure still stood standing. And we hobbled onwards to find a spot to take a rest an recuperate.
Njål #zaceron signing out
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