Tales of Cadence/Chapter XII

Felix suddenly latched onto Raven’s arm, gasping as a bird shot out of the trees, screeching loudly as it broke through the thick canopy of leaves and disappeared into the overcast, rainy sky.

“Would you stop grabbing me every time an animal comes out or Stephen’s bag makes a weird noise?” Raven demanded angrily, shaking Felix off. “Why don’t you go bug Skylar?”

“Because he’s almost as scary as this place is when he’s angry...” Felix muttered, shrinking back as an owl hooted in the depths of the woods.

The corner of Raven’s mouth twitched as he thought back to what had happened earlier when Felix tried to throw himself on the elf’s arm when something in Stephen’s bag began ticking. “I didn’t think Skylar could get that mad...”

“He startled me, that was all,” Skylar said, nonplussed. “You would have reacted the same way if someone had suddenly grabbed your arm and nearly squeezed you into a heart attack.”

Elsynne smiled nervously. “Still, you didn’t have to be so violent...”

“Yeah, even I’ll admit that nearly shooting Felix with that bow of yours was a little over the edge,” Raven added.

Skylar raised his hands defensively. “It won’t happen again as long as he doesn’t jump on me. Raven, you don’t mind, do you?”

“Why me...?”

Felix smiled innocently, brushing a strand of light brown hair from his eyes. “Because I still think that deep down you can be a nice person.”

Raven shuddered involuntarily, humiliated by the fact that he was beginning to fall victim to Felix’s undeniable charm, just as the girls had in the theatre where they first met. Fortunately, it seemed as if he wasn’t the only one; Elsynne smiled and Stephen grinned cheerfully.

*‘But Stephen’s always smiling like a complete idiot...’* Raven thought, frowning sullenly.

“How much longer are we going to be in here?” Felix asked, still hovering close to Raven as he walked.

“Not much farther. We should be reaching the edge of the forest any minute now,” Stephen replied, adjusting the bag in his hands. Felix jumped again as something inside made a long, loud shrieking sound. No one had bothered to ask what was inside – they were admittedly too afraid to find out what lurked in the burlap bag.

“Ah! Here we are!” Stephen said, pointing towards the edge of the woods. They could see a faint light emanating from a break in the trees ahead.

Felix visibly relaxed. “F-Finally...” he murmured, putting a hand to his chest. “I thought the forest would go on forever...”

“Yeah, so did I,” Raven said solemnly.

Elsynne breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you think it’s gotten any warmer since we entered the woods?” she asked.

Stephen shrugged nervously. “I doubt it. It’s never really warm out here, especially during this time of the year. In fact,” he raised his head, trying to see through the dark layer of overlapping branches above, “I think it’s still raining, or at least it’s drizzly.”

“The rain’s a nice change from the glaring sun back in Austror,” Skylar said, grinning. “I was beginning to get tired of the almost constant heat there.”

“I prefer the sun to rain...” Elsynne said, lowering her head sadly.

“C’mon! You guys are too slow!” Felix said, racing ahead excitedly. “I want to get out of this forest now!”

“Slow down!” Stephen stopped, suddenly alarmed. “There might be-“

A huge, hulking shape jumped out from the trees and mauled Felix, throwing him against the hard ground.

“-an eggbear nearby.” Stephen finished awkwardly. “See, I told you it was spooky, didn’t I?”

Raven pulled his sword from the sheathe at his waist and ran forward, smirking. “All right! I’ll take care of this!” he said, charging towards the large, purple-furred creature.

“Raaaaven!” Felix called, digging his fingers into the muddy dirt as the eggbear growled menacingly. It swung its head around, eyes glowing darkly as it saw the sharp point of Raven’s sword.

A loud shot suddenly rang out in the woods, reverberating sharply off the trees. Raven flinched as he heard something fly by his ear.

The eggbear stood on its hind legs, crying out with pain as another shot echoed through the forest. It stumbled backwards and fell on its back, breathing heavily as crimson blood began to drip from several wounds on its side. Raven rushed forward and, without hesitation, drove his blade into its chest.

Felix jumped up and threw his arms around Raven’s stomach. “I thought that thing was going to kill me!” he said, moving away before he could be shoved off. “Great job!”

“I didn’t do that,” Raven said, looking back over his shoulder as he sheathed his sword. Elsynne and Skylar were gazing at Stephen with both fear and awe as he held one of the smoking guns in his right hand.

“Easily taken care of,” he said, returning the gun to the holster at his waist with an almost theatric flourish. “Be careful and don’t run ahead like that again, all right?”

Felix nodded quietly. “Y-Yeah... If you’re going to shoot at me like that...”

Stephen laughed. “I wasn’t aiming for you, I was trying to get the eggbear. They’re not as stupid as they look; they won’t go after groups as large as ours, but they like to attack people when they’re alone. See, I wasn’t lying earlier when I said that this place was scary...”

Skylar raised an eyebrow. “That ‘gun’ you have... It’s like a bow and arrow, but much quicker and more efficient.”

“Well, in a way, I suppose,” Stephen said, nodding. “They’re difficult to use if you’re not familiar with them, though. And they’re a lot more lethal than an arrow.”

Skylar’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I see.”

Elsynne looked at him strangely, tilting her head to the side. “Skylar...? What’s wrong?”

The elf suddenly shook his head again, smiling amicably. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking out loud. Should we get going before anymore eggbears come? They could always take Raven, if they’d like...he’d make an excellent sacrifice.”

“Would you shut up?” Raven snapped, turning away from the group as he took the lead again. “We don’t need to hear your stupid jokes.”

“I’m just kidding around with you. There’s no need to get worked up.”

Raven muttered a few curses under his breath and walked ahead, clenching his fists at his sides.

“Poor sport...” Skylar murmured nonchalantly, smiling as the others laughed.

When the group finally left the protective cover of the trees, they were quickly doused by the light rain falling from the gray clouds overhead. Elsynne pulled her arms close to her chest, shivering against the cold.

Raven sighed and pulled the small, dry blanket from his bag. “Here,” he said, handing it to her without looking in her direction.

Elsynne looked at the blanket, then back at Raven. “Why...?”

“You helped me out on the ship,” he replied, biting his lip nervously as he forced himself to bring up the mortifying memory. “This is just to make up for it.”

Elsynne smiled and took the blanket, wrapping it around her slim shoulders. “Thank you, Raven.” She said appreciatively.

“Yeah, well, now we’re even.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Stephen whispered as Raven forced himself closer to the head of the group.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You do something nice, then you go and take it back by saying something like that. Why don’t you try lightening up a bit?”

“Good luck with that,” Skylar said, smirking as he saw Raven’s disgruntled glare.

“Why don’t the two of you mind your own business?” Raven demanded angrily, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. “I just gave her the damn blanket because she was shivering and was probably going to start complaining. Do you want me to go take it back?”

Skylar and Stephen exchanged a quick glance as Raven glowered at each of them before turning back to the muddy road. The small, snowy mountain range wasn’t far ahead; they were getting closer and closer to Rhett’s cave with each step.

“What’s that tower for?” Raven suddenly asked, turning and motioning towards something in the distance.

Stephen followed his gaze towards a shape barely visible amongst the rain and the clouds. The tall, dark tower looked almost unnatural surrounded by the wet, misty forests.

“We just call it the Tower nowadays,” Stephen replied, shielding his eyes against the increasing raindrops. “One of the religious stories tells us that Baldur sleeps there.”

Raven rolled his eyes. “It’s probably just some tower built to make that story more believable.”

“I’m actually surprised that you haven’t heard of it,” Stephen said absentmindedly. He had not looked away from the ominous tower.

“I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t really remember it. It’s just some stupid legend, anyway.”

Felix ignored Raven’s attitude and smiled. “Just wait until we get to the cave! Then you’ll see a *real* Spirit.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll believe in all this Heir and Messenger nonsense.”

“You never know!”

“I’ve known for nearly eighteen years that I don’t put any stock in fairy tales and children’s stories,” Raven hissed, “so stop trying to convince me already!”

Elsynne placed a hand on Felix’s shoulder as he opened his mouth to protest.

“Give him time,” Skylar told them as Raven stomped ahead. “He’ll begin to understand when he sees all of his ‘fairy tales’ unfolding before his eyes.”

“Are you sure? He is pretty stubborn,” Felix replied skeptically.

 “I want him to be able to trust me,” Elsynne added quietly.

“It’s like Skylar said. He’s stubborn, so he’ll need a little time to let everything sink in,” Stephen said reassuringly. “Come on, we’re almost to Rhett’s cave. Didn’t you want to form a pact with him as soon as possible?”

Elsynne nodded, smiling again. “Yes, let’s get going!” she said, moving ahead so she could walk beside Stephen and Felix. Skylar trailed behind, watching Raven carefully as he waited for them at the mouth of a small cave in the mountainside. A freezing gust of wind blew down from the snowy peaks above, making the cold rain almost unbearable.

“I hope it’s a little warmer inside,” Felix said, shivering so violently that his teeth began to chatter.

“We can always make a small campfire inside and sit down to warm up a bit,” Stephen suggested. He patted his bag. “I’ve got a few things we could use to ignite the fire.”

Raven thought back to their encounter in the shop, remembering the loud explosion that had rocked the building.

“Hell will freeze over before I let you open that bag while I’m around,” he said.

Stephen shrugged nonchalantly and threw the strap back over his shoulder.  “I guess we could always save the fire for later, huh?”

Raven shrugged nervously, unsure of how to interpret his words. *‘Hopefully there won’t be a later...’* he thought ruefully.

The inside of the cave was humid and dank; water from melting snow dripped down the walls and echoed through the darkness. Elsynne opened her hand and a small, flickering light materialized on her palm, illuminating the inside of the cavern.

“Elsynne!” Raven hissed, narrowing his eyes. “Isn’t that-“

“I’ve done this before,” she said quickly. “This is very weak light magic, so I can use it without any problems. Don’t worry about me.”

Felix nodded reassuringly. “Yep, I’ve seen Elsynne use this dozens of times without getting tired or anything.”

Raven turned away slowly. “If you say so. I don’t want to have to stop halfway through because you wore yourself out.”

“Rhett’s cave isn’t too deep,” Stephen promised as he moved ahead, navigating through the dim light with ease. “I’m surprised that it’s not too windy.”

“It was windy outside,” Felix said, shivering again as he held his long jacket closed with his shaky hands. “Is that Rhett’s influence?”

“Yes. His wind is actually a blessing for the people of Brancove – it drives away most of the smoke and smog from the factory in town,” Stephen replied. He sighed ruefully, “The people there will miss that...”

Elsynne suddenly looked guilty. “Maybe we can ask Rhett to stay here when we don’t call him so that he can still provide the people with the wind.” She offered.

“Yeah! That would probably work!” Felix agreed.

“You can do something like that?” Raven questioned, running his hand along the cool stone of the mountainside as they walked through the quiet cave.

“It’s like we explained before: a Spirit forms a bond with someone, forcing themselves into a form of servitude. The pact-maker then has the ability to call upon the Spirits at any time to summon them into battle.”

“They can also call on a Spirit for advice if need be,” Skylar added.

“The three of you seem to know quite a bit about the Spirits,” Stephen observed.

“What do you know about them?” Elsynne asked.

“Just that you can summon them for guidance,” he responded presently. “I’ve come to this cave dozens of times, but Rhett has never appeared to me. I’ve only heard his voice.”

Raven looked at him curiously. “Why did you come here?”

“I use Rhett’s wind to power some of my inventions,” Stephen explained. “My guns, for instance, are almost completely dependent on his wind. Rhett has refused to form a pact with me, however, but I found that he will share very small amounts of his power if bargained with.”

“’Bargained with’?”

“Oh, you’ll probably see if he appears to you.”

Raven swallowed nervously, putting his hand back on the hilt of his sword, prepared for a fight.

“It might not be what you’re expecting,” Stephen added quickly. “It’ll be an...*interesting* surprise for you, to say the least.”

“Why won’t you tell us what Rhett does?” Felix asked, frowning soberly.

Stephen winked. “I got the pleasure of being surprised by the Spirit, and I don’t want to rob you of that experience.”

“Somehow, I don’t get the feeling that it’ll be ‘fun’,” Raven said gravely, setting his jaw as they traveled deeper into the cave. In the flickering, dancing light that Elsynne produced, he could barely make out the end of the long tunnel and saw a large chamber ahead.

The hollowed-out area was just as dark as the rest of the tunnels. There was barely enough room for everyone in the group; they filed in slowly and squeezed together, standing in front of a low platform in the back of the chamber.

“How do you get him to appear?” Raven asked impatiently, folding his arms over his chest as he stared lazily at the empty platform.

“Give Rhett time,” Stephen said calmly. “He *is* a Spirit, you know. He won’t come at any human’s will and wish.”

“So, who’s planning on forming the pact with Rhett?” Skylar asked, turning to the others in the group.

“I already know that I can’t,” Elsynne said, forcing herself to the back of the group with Raven.

Felix smiled enthusiastically. “Do you think he’d want to form a pact with me?”

“No way. You look too much like an irresponsible kid,” Raven said mockingly.

“Aw, you don’t have to say something like that...”

“Hey, you asked. I’m just telling you the honest truth.”

“Hm, it usually doesn’t take Rhett this long to appear to a group...” Stephen said, tactfully stopping the argument before it could continue. “He would often speak to me only a minute or so after I came.”

“Maybe he’s sleeping?” Felix suggested, shrugging.

“Spirits don’t sleep or leave the place they’re bound to,” Skylar replied tensely. “Perhaps he doesn’t see anyone in our group fit enough to form a pact with him.”

Elsynne sighed solemnly, “I hope that isn’t the case. We really need his help...”

“It’s just one Spirit. We could make due with the others, couldn’t we?” Raven asked, taking his hand away from the sword at his waist. He sighed, realizing that he probably would not be needing it anytime soon.

“That might be true,” Skylar began, “but it would still be helpful for us to have the help of as many Spirits as possible. We still don’t know how...powerful the Messenger might turn out to be.”

“You make him sound like he’s some strong, scary guy,” Raven said edgily. “He might turn out to be even weaker than Elsynne for all we know.”

Both Elsynne and Felix exchanged a quiet glance. “You never know. He might have a better handle on whatever power he has,” Felix said after a brief, tense silence.

“But if no one here has heard of him, then what are the odds of the Messenger even knowing what he is?”

Before Elsynne could reply, she was interrupted by a faint, unfamiliar laugh. Each member of the party instantly tensed, drawing their weapons as they faced the platform. Stephen remained completely relaxed, staring almost serenely at the back wall.

“You humans sure like to spend a lot of time arguing over stupid things.”

Raven loosened his grip on his sword. The voice sounded as though it belonged to a young child. A shape began to appear over the platform; it was what looked like a boy with pale brown hair and bright green eyes. He looked bored as he hovered over the platform, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Raven took an awkward step backward; either the Spirits were real or someone had put a very potent drug in his food. He quickly searched his mind, hoping to find some sort of viable explanation for the small boy hovering in front of them.

“Rhett?” Elsynne asked, remaining in the back of the group.

“Yep, yep, that’s me,” the boy replied, flipping over in midair so that he looked as if he was lounging on his back. “The Spirit Rhett, guardian of the wind, and all that stuff...”

“Ah, this is the first time I’ve seen the Spirit...” Stephen said, muttering to himself as he stroked his chin again. “Usually I only hear his voice.”

“Oh, it’s you again!” the Spirit said, suddenly alert as he heard Stephen’s voice. “What do you need this time?”

“I didn’t come because *I* needed something. I brought this group because they wanted to form a pact with you.”

To Raven’s surprise, Rhett looked interested as he quietly surveyed the group, carefully examining each face. “A pact, huh? Which one of you should I form a pact with...”

“I thought you said that we were going to have to bargain with him,” Raven said accusingly, turning to Stephen.

He shrugged, smiling pleasantly. “Whenever I ask for something, he usually makes me play a game like tag or hide-and-seek.”

Raven looked at him with disbelief. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any weirder...”

“Hey, if my pact-maker can get me out of here, they don’t have to play a game,” Rhett said happily, folding his arms as he looked over the members of the group.

“Actually, about that...” Elsynne began. Skylar turned and stopped her with a warning glance; she instantly stopped and looked down at the ground.

“I think I want to form a pact with...you!” Rhett announced, moving so that he hovered in front of Felix. “You’ll do nicely as my pact-maker.”

“R-Really?” Felix asked, his eyes widening with disbelief. “Me?”

Even Raven looked surprised. “*Him?*”

“You have a playful spirit, and you seem like you’re a good kid,” Rhett said, still hovering in front of Felix as he spoke. He turned to Raven and suddenly frowned. “You look stubborn and mean.”

“He’s a very wise Spirit,” Skylar said teasingly, trying to ignore Raven as he began cursing under his breath again.

“Besides, I couldn’t form a pact with you even if I wanted to,” Rhett continued pensively. “There’s a block on your spirit or something, because I can’t see it like I can see theirs.”

Raven tilted his head to the side, failing to disguise his sudden curiosity. “You can’t see my spirit?”

“That’s how I decide who I want to form a pact with. I can see people’s spirits and judge them that way,” Rhett explained. “I can’t see yours at all...it makes me feel like I’m blind.” The Spirit said, pouting sullenly.

“You can still form the pact with me!” Felix said excitedly, his eyes brightening.

Rhett seemed to perk up and turned his attention away from Raven. “Yep! Now, let’s see... I haven’t formed a pact in a while, I wonder if I can still remember...”

“A Spirit that can’t remember how to form a pact?” Skylar repeated skeptically.

“Hey, I’ve been out of work for a few centuries, cut me some slack.” Rhett said, waving his hand. “Anyway...you have to state the contract of our pact, or something like that.”

“Oh, I see,” Felix agreed, straightening up. “I’d like to borrow your power so that I can help to protect the Heir and bring about the revival of the Gemini God, like the scriptures have told us. I also want to borrow your power so that I can successfully help to protect her from the Messenger,” he said.

“Hmm...that’s interesting.” Rhett said thoughtfully, although Raven had a feeling that he was not referring to the terms of the pact. The Spirit nodded and said, “All right, then I’ll agree to your pact and you’ve become my pact-maker.”

A soft, pale green light appeared in the palms of Rhett’s hands. Felix imitated his position as the light reappeared in his hands, signifying the formation of their new bond.

“Now you can tell him,” Skylar said to Elsynne. “He’s bound by Felix’s promise to protect you.”

Elsynne stepped forward hesitantly before the Spirit disappeared. “We would like you to stay in this area until Felix calls you, so that your influence over the wind can continue to dispel the thick smoke coming from Brancove.”

“Aww...I was hoping that since I had a pact, I’d be able to leave this stupid cave!” Rhett said, sulking.

“That’s why I wouldn’t let you speak earlier. He might have rejected us if he knew,” Skylar whispered to Elsynne.

“What if you just remained on the continent?” Stephen suggested thoughtfully. “You can still roam around by your own will, but at the same time your influence over the area will continue to cause the frequent windstorms and such.”

“Hey, that might work,” Rhett said with a noncommittal shrug. “I’ll give it a try.”

The Spirit disappeared and Felix turned to the others in the group. “Looks like I’m finally useful for something now, huh?”

“Don’t be silly, you were always useful to the group,” Elsynne said reassuringly.

“Hmm, I wonder...if Rhett’s gone, will my experiments still work?” Stephen wondered aloud as he reached into his bag. He pulled out a palm-sized square of black metal and held it in his hand.

“What is that?” Raven asked, tentatively trying to move away from Stephen.

“It’s something I’ve been working on for a while,” he replied, weighing it in his palm. “But it’s based on Rhett’s pow-“

He paused as the device began to tick loudly. An orange light went off on the side of the device.

“Well, that can’t be good,” Stephen muttered. “The device isn’t supposed to be blinking like that...”

“...What?”

“That light usually means that it’s going to detonate.”

 Raven turned and saw that the others in the group had already left them in the chamber. “H-Hey! Don’t leave me here with this guy!” he called.

The ticking suddenly stopped. Raven felt his stomach clench as Stephen muttered something under his breath. He only managed to catch the word ‘dangerous’.

And then, in a flash of blinding, fiery light, the bomb detonated as Stephen tossed it across the room. It exploded before it even hit the opposite wall.

Raven instantly put his hands over his face, wincing as the blast threw hot air at his body. Shards of metal and rocks pelted their heads and faces as smoke enveloped the chamber, stifling the cool air.

“Come on! Let’s get out of here!” Stephen called over the din.

Raven coughed loudly, his eyes watering painfully as the thick, potent smoke filled the room. “I can’t see!” he said, blinking furiously.

A bigger, rougher hand suddenly grabbed his and yanked him through the chamber, leading him into the smoke-filled tunnels. Raven pulled himself out of Stephen’s grasp and used his hands to feel the wall, trying not to run into the hard stone as they ran through the tunnels.

Raven coughed loudly as they got out of the smoky cave and breathed in the freezing, crisp mountain air. He let himself fall to his knees as he took deep breaths, still sputtering as he tried to calm the spasms.

“Are you all right?” Elsynne asked, leaning down next to him. Skylar and Felix hovered nearby, preparing medical supplies as Stephen and Raven sat in the cold grass, breathing heavily.

“Wh-What was that thing?” Raven demanded once he could speak coherently. He rounded on Stephen, eyes flashing dangerously.

“I already told you, it was a highly explosive bomb,” Stephen replied, wiping more dirt from his face as he took a gummy from Skylar. “I was hoping that I could use this opportunity to test it on the monsters in this area.”

“You mean you brought in something explosive that you haven’t even *tested* before?”

“I thought that if it exploded, it would be a good surprise incase we were trying to ambush a monster or something...you never know when these kinds of things could prove to be useful.”

Raven’s jaw dropped. “You’re a crazy bastard...” he muttered, putting a hand to his forehead as he tried to control his temper.

Stephen only smiled innocently. “It was an exciting experiment, to say the least. I found that the bombs have a tendency to randomly detonate...very interesting...”

“Was that...sort of like the explosion in the shop earlier today?” Elsynne asked nervously as she helped Raven up, making sure that she held him by the sleeve of his shirt.

“In a way, I suppose,” Stephen replied, sighing dramatically. “But you should’ve seen *that* explosion...there was tons of fire, and it was all flashy and bright...”

“You’ve invited a dangerous pyromaniac into our midst,” Skylar said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he held back a laugh.

“I wish I could have been there to see it...you’re pretty lucky, Raven,” Felix said sadly, hanging his head.

“L-Lucky? How the hell was that lucky?” Raven asked as he took the edge of his shirt and used it to wipe the grime from his face. “I could have died back there!”

Skylar sighed with mock sorrow. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

Raven stood up, still brushing dirt from his clothing. “Well, we got Rhett. Are we all done here?”

“Actually, I was wondering...” Stephen began, “All of my inventions are completely useless without Rhett, even if he is still influencing the wind in this area. I think the bomb went off because Rhett’s power stopped supporting it, and the mechanism failed.”

Raven frowned and shook his head. “No. Get out of the group.”

Skylar ignored him and continued. “I could be helpful if I joined your group. I know enough about technology and tools, so I could invent things that would help you on your journey. I’m also somewhat interested in the Penna’s civilization...I’d like to see it one day.”

“There is no chance in hell-“

“This isn’t your group, Raven. You don’t have any right to make that decision,” Skylar interjected, giving him a reproachful look. “Elsynne? What do you think?”

She looked at Stephen nervously, then looked back to Skylar. “I’m...not completely sure if it would be a good idea...”

“He already knows about the Penna, doesn’t he? And besides, we can use any help we can get. Who knows what the Messenger will turn out to be like in the end...”

Elsynne closed her eyes, suddenly deep in thought. When she opened them again after a brief silence, she nodded. “All right. You can join us, Stephen, but we want you to be careful with your...explosives.”

Stephen smiled and nodded in agreement. “I’ll try my best to be more careful. I probably won’t have as much to invent now that I’ll be on the move, anyway!”

“Are you sure that letting a pyromaniac in the group is a good idea?” Raven asked, glaring.

“It’ll be fine. Besides, maybe his inventions can be useful,” Elsynne suggested gently.

Raven frowned, thinking back to the dangerous explosion in the cave. “Yeah, they’re useful for suicide if you want to kill yourself like that. I’m surprised I didn’t die back there.”

“The bombs are only dangerous if you use them at close-range,” Stephen explained. “That’s why I threw the bomb when I realized that it was about to detonate.”

“This is a really, *really* bad idea,” Raven said moodily.

“Please don’t worry about the explosions,” Stephen said cordially, “I’ll try my best to keep them from going off...but I can’t guarantee anything, you know.”

Felix smiled sympathetically and turned to Elsynne. “So, where’s the next Spirit?”

“Chandra, the Spirit of Darkness, should also be located in Libra,” she replied confidently. “But unlike Rhett, I’m not sure what part of the area she’s in.”

“Oh, Chandra should be located somewhere near the Tower,” Stephen cut in eagerly. He motioned towards the old ruin. “I’ve been there a few times myself, and there’s a city we can stop at on the way there. We can get supplies and rest.”

“Good idea,” Elsynne agreed.

“It’s a good thing you’re in the group now, huh?” Felix asked excitedly. “Now we don’t have to worry about asking for directions while we’re here on Libra.”

“Yes, it’s a good thing Raven managed to find the shop,” Stephen agreed.

Raven folded his arms over his chest, sulking.

“Don’t be so childish,” Skylar chided. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone so immature in my life.”

“Oh yeah? I’m willing to bet there’s someone worse than me,” Raven said slyly. Skylar raised an eyebrow questioningly.

An all-too-familiar female voice suddenly called from the forest. “Ah ha!”

Felix blanched. “Did you know she was coming?!”

“I saw Ilia wandering around town,” Raven replied, smug, “then I heard her yelling from the forest while all of you were distracted with that Chandra, or whatever it’s called.”

Even Skylar looked disappointed. “I *thought* I heard something, but I ignored it...” he said.

Ilia suddenly ran out of the forest, surrounded by the small group of other mages that Raven had seen her yelling at in Brancove.

“We finally found you!” she said cheerfully, putting her hands on her hips as she smiled. “And this time I’ve brought some friends with me so that you won’t get away so easily.”

“You mean, you brought friends with you so that Skylar wouldn’t beat you into the ground this time?” Raven rephrased, smirking mirthfully.

Ilia pouted. “That wasn’t fair! He’s...he’s older than I am! He’s been alive so long that he was able to learn more powerful magic than I have!”

“I-I’m not old...” Skylar said sadly, lowering his head with defeat. “I’m only in my early twenties according to humans...”

“That’s still *old*.”

Stephen nervously scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly. “You know, I’m older than that...twenty-six...”

“No one asked you, old man!”

“Eh...”

Raven drew his sword, holding the point towards the group of mages. He had seen them in action before when he was younger; they were careful and calculated, often trying to avoid dangerous fights if possible. If he could quickly gain the upper hand...

“Felix, now would be the perfect time to test out Rhett’s power,” Skylar suggested, nudging the boy.

“Oh, okay!” Felix said, holding out his hands like he had before in the cave. The green light materialized in his palms and he whispered a few words under his breath.

Ilia waved the brightly-colored baton in her hand. “There’s no way you’re getting out of this one! Fire Ball!”

Stephen suddenly pushed them aside and threw a small metal sphere at her. It exploded as it hit the ground; multicolored smoke erupted from the sphere and filled the air.

“Geez, we haven’t had a pact for an hour and you’re already calling me to do something?” Rhett asked as he appeared alongside Felix. “What do you want?”

“Help us get out of here!” Felix commanded fearfully as the purple and red smoke filled the air. “Can you teleport?”

“Yep, yep.”

“Can you take us somewhere?”

“No problem!” Rhett said, waving his hand. A sudden whirlwind swept up the leaves and smoke; Raven saw Ilia’s enraged and confused expression as they disappeared in the swirling, turbulent wind.