make sure we all survive,” he promises with a warm smile. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the day and I’ll fly us to Gaia at dawn.”
Sari puts her hands on the table and brings it to life, the gypsy directing it to walk out of the dining room. A forlorn look on his face, Luke watches helplessly as his meal escapes into the wide hallway. The growl of his stomach urges him to stand, but he cannot do any more than wavering on his feet. He is shaken out of his shock when his companion takes him by the wrist and gently leads him toward the large doors.
“You’re being mean,” he whimpers as they leave the room. The table is far in the distance, turning toward a flight of stairs. “The food is going to fall on the floor.”
“I froze everything to the top and told the table to go to the hot spring,” Sari says with a mischievous grin. Letting go of Luke’s hand, she gracefully dances away and sticks out her tongue. “The challenge, lover, is to get there before I do. If I get to the lower level hot spring first, you get whatever food I feel like giving you. If you get there first, you get me and the food without question. Do we have a-”
Luke transforms into the griffin and charges down the hallway, screeching as she turns to go up the stairwell. Her amber fur shimmers with renewed energy, but brown feathers are molting off her head and wings. The sound of a large impact in the distance causes the gypsy to groan and prepare herself to fix a fresh dent in the wall.
“I wish I knew if he was more excited about me or the food. Then again, do I really care? I just don’t want this feeling to end.” Sari mutters as she steps into a doorway and dives into the ice slides.
2
The sun is still freeing itself from the horizon as Timoran sits on the outer wall of Rainbow Tower. His breath mists the air in front of him, mixing with the light snow that is still falling from a patch of gray clouds. With a tired sigh, he pulls the Compass Key out of the belt holster Willow and Nyx forged for him. The chestnut-colored box snaps closed, the lid sealing with the hiss of a heat spell. The noise makes the barbarian cringe and the fear of his pants catching fire briefly flickers in his mind. Timoran calms down by examining the silver chain dangling from the amulet, but his strong mistrust of magic prevents him from putting it around his neck. He wraps the links around his fingers until the relic sits comfortably in his palm, his skin becoming clammy when the pearl glistens in the morning light.
“Are you going to be okay?” Luke asks from the ground. The shirtless half-elf is covered in sweat from his morning run and his breath is appearing in rapid puffs. “You look like you’re going to faint, Timoran. Not a good idea if you’re up there.”
“I will be fine, my friend. You are going to freeze to death like that. Go inside and get warm.”
Luke shoves his arm into a small, nondescript pouch on his belt, his limb going in up to his elbow. He notices Timoran is turning away as he gets a fresh shirt and a thick coat from the enchanted bag. It takes very little time for him to get dressed, but he cringes when the fabric sticks to his sweaty skin. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation, he swiftly climbs the wall and takes a seat next to the large warrior. His eyes fall to the Compass Key and he stares at it with a child-like curiosity.
“This is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at it,” the half-elf says, admiring the smooth jewels surrounding beautiful pearl. “Amazing how this was sitting under Gaia this whole time and none of the other champions ever found it. Though I guess any who tried could have been killed by that spectral cockatrice or the ghosts.”
“There were very few bodies. I have had dark thoughts about that, but I do not know how you will take to it,” Timoran mentions, subtly moving the relic out of his friend’s reach. His brow creases as he lets his festering worries come to the surface.
Sari puts her hands on the table and brings it to life, the gypsy directing it to walk out of the dining room. A forlorn look on his face, Luke watches helplessly as his meal escapes into the wide hallway. The growl of his stomach urges him to stand, but he cannot do any more than wavering on his feet. He is shaken out of his shock when his companion takes him by the wrist and gently leads him toward the large doors.
“You’re being mean,” he whimpers as they leave the room. The table is far in the distance, turning toward a flight of stairs. “The food is going to fall on the floor.”
“I froze everything to the top and told the table to go to the hot spring,” Sari says with a mischievous grin. Letting go of Luke’s hand, she gracefully dances away and sticks out her tongue. “The challenge, lover, is to get there before I do. If I get to the lower level hot spring first, you get whatever food I feel like giving you. If you get there first, you get me and the food without question. Do we have a-”
Luke transforms into the griffin and charges down the hallway, screeching as she turns to go up the stairwell. Her amber fur shimmers with renewed energy, but brown feathers are molting off her head and wings. The sound of a large impact in the distance causes the gypsy to groan and prepare herself to fix a fresh dent in the wall.
“I wish I knew if he was more excited about me or the food. Then again, do I really care? I just don’t want this feeling to end.” Sari mutters as she steps into a doorway and dives into the ice slides.
2
The sun is still freeing itself from the horizon as Timoran sits on the outer wall of Rainbow Tower. His breath mists the air in front of him, mixing with the light snow that is still falling from a patch of gray clouds. With a tired sigh, he pulls the Compass Key out of the belt holster Willow and Nyx forged for him. The chestnut-colored box snaps closed, the lid sealing with the hiss of a heat spell. The noise makes the barbarian cringe and the fear of his pants catching fire briefly flickers in his mind. Timoran calms down by examining the silver chain dangling from the amulet, but his strong mistrust of magic prevents him from putting it around his neck. He wraps the links around his fingers until the relic sits comfortably in his palm, his skin becoming clammy when the pearl glistens in the morning light.
“Are you going to be okay?” Luke asks from the ground. The shirtless half-elf is covered in sweat from his morning run and his breath is appearing in rapid puffs. “You look like you’re going to faint, Timoran. Not a good idea if you’re up there.”
“I will be fine, my friend. You are going to freeze to death like that. Go inside and get warm.”
Luke shoves his arm into a small, nondescript pouch on his belt, his limb going in up to his elbow. He notices Timoran is turning away as he gets a fresh shirt and a thick coat from the enchanted bag. It takes very little time for him to get dressed, but he cringes when the fabric sticks to his sweaty skin. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation, he swiftly climbs the wall and takes a seat next to the large warrior. His eyes fall to the Compass Key and he stares at it with a child-like curiosity.
“This is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at it,” the half-elf says, admiring the smooth jewels surrounding beautiful pearl. “Amazing how this was sitting under Gaia this whole time and none of the other champions ever found it. Though I guess any who tried could have been killed by that spectral cockatrice or the ghosts.”
“There were very few bodies. I have had dark thoughts about that, but I do not know how you will take to it,” Timoran mentions, subtly moving the relic out of his friend’s reach. His brow creases as he lets his festering worries come to the surface.
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