Alexander sipped on the prune juice the old man had provided while looking at the various pictures hanging on the walls. The old man had whisked them all into his home, managing to corral them into his living room while answering none of their questions. After showing the group to the couches, he had shuffled away, saying something about the vicissitudes of life. Susanne had hopped after the old man, but the goldfish was placed on a table in the living room as if to keep watch on the guests.
Staring at Gertrude from the corner of his eye, Alexander sighed. The goldfish seemed normal, maybe even below normal. Apart from blowing the occasional bubble, her eyes glazed over without a hint of intelligence like a regular goldfish. Returning his focus to the pictures, he saw a younger man wearing a fancy robe and bearing a scepter posed happily in a fishing boat, a slightly older man standing at the helm of a large sailboat, and a middle-aged man in construction gear, surrounded by smiling children in some sort of slum. No matter the picture, the goldfish could be found near the man. Her bowl was in the legs of the man in the fishing boat. She was balanced on his head as he commanded the wheel of the sailboat. And she was held up by the children in the final picture.
Figuring there would be no loss, Alexander scooted up on his seat and leaned into the fishbowl. “Hey, Gertrude. How’s your day going?” The black and white spotted fish continued swimming around in her bowl, pausing only slightly when Alexander spoke to her.
Thomas, who was seated beside Alexander, gulped loudly after waiting for a few seconds. “Man, I was really expecting for her to answer. You think the old man was pulling our leg when he said it was Gertrude who saved Kai? I mean Lord Nidra knew him- called him Luca, I think. It would make sense if he was the one who did it.”
“Wait the dragon you two met knew the old ma- Luca I mean. He knew Luca?” Speaking his first words since Luca had laughed at him outside, Kai stood from his seat and walked closer to the two of them.
Alexander didn’t miss the respectful tone by which Kai was referring to the old man. In fact, both of them were constantly shooting anxious glances between the door he had gone into and the fishing bowl in the center of the table. It made sense. They had all been rude towards him, and the situation changed drastically if you were disrespectful to the quirky old man who talked to his goldfish in a rundown cabin, or the powerful Elementalist who spent his days in meditation with his companion beast. I suppose at least he seems to be well-mannered. He never seemed offended which bodes well.
“Sorry, I had something stuck in my teeth, and it’s a lot harder for me to get it out as opposed to humans. Anyhow my day has been pretty great. The family went out fishing at dawn, and Kai, here, managed to filet a shark so beautifully he even earned a compliment from Susanne. I guess you kids don’t get it, but this was a milestone because Kai seems to have some deep-seated hate towards sharks. Really butchers them every time he lays hands on one.”
“Yeah, yeah that makes sense. Well, I’m glad to hear you’re having a- wait a minute! You can speak!!” Alexander placed both hands on the bowl before thinking better of it and scooting back. “Madam Gertrude, it is an honor to speak with you, and I apologize so much for having ignored you until now.”
“Big apologies.” Thomas nodded his head furiously.
“I not only apologize, but I also want to thank you for saving my life back in the beach.” Kai looked earnest as he bowed to the bowl. “I’ve been sucking up to Susanne these past few days, but it’s been you who has been magnetizing the knives to train my control, hasn’t it? I had eyes but I could not see. I missed your greatness all along.”
Gertrude chuckled lightly. “There’s no need to butter me up so much. You have no idea how much joy you serving Susanne brought to her and Luca. That’s all the thanks I need for training you a bit. Plus, you’re a great student.”
Kai smiled widely before leaning over to Thomas and whispering. “Maybe you got taught by a dragon, but I have a mystical goldfish as my master. Sucks to suck, ice cube.”
The commotion caught Pola and Pengu’s eyes as the two rascals ran over pressed their faces against the bowl, trying to get a better look at the goldfish. Rising into the air, Gertrude seemed to control the water in her bowl so finely, it retained its shape. A few droplets squirted onto the children causing a cheerful cry.
Ignoring Kai’s jab, Thomas shot to his feet. “T-T-T-three? This can’t be real. You’re lying. Where do you come from!”
“You’re embarrassing us, Thomas! And we don’t want to anger an expert.” The last sentence was aimed at Pengu who was staring at Gertrude with less than pure intentions. Standing up, he picked up Pengu and moved her to the corner of the room.
Swimming in the air, Gertrude laughed in a melodious tone. “Worry not, Alexander. I am not quick to anger, nor am I offended at Thomas’ words.” Moving her bubble to rest at eye level with Thomas, she sparkled with electricity. “This is what I believe you are referring to, no?”
“Yes, Madam Gertrude. Luca said you had stopped the ambush on Kai by using the wind and lightning king’s path. If we add water, you might just be the rarest creature alive. I mean no disrespect by that.”
“Relax, son. I am not here to punish you. It would please me if you would just treat me as an old friend.” Seeing Thomas’ reluctant nod, she continued. “Do not take that imp’s words as law. Luca is a powerful Elementalist, but he is a bit… flexible with his words. He was the one who used the king’s path for wind. I only helped with the electricity.”
“You see, take a chill pill, bro. Besides, it’s just three elements. Even if she had affinities to them, what’s the big deal?”
Stupefied expressions met Alexander’s bold remark, but it was only until Luca burst into the room that he received an answer. “Stupid, aren’t you? There’s only one triple element affinity creature in our solar system, and that’s your pal’s father’s beast companion. He’s the reason the war has been at a stalemate for so long. If there was another, the scummy boy would have to retrieve as much information as possible before reporting back to the Tlaloc clan, even if it cost his life.”
“Thomas don’t go! We just got back together!!” Pola clung to his leg with tear-filled eyes, while Pengu squawked up a storm from Alexander’s arms.
“Language, Luca! You’re scaring the babies.” With a speed so fast it almost seemed like teleporting, Gertrude appeared before Luca and berated him like a mother to her child.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
He defiantly held her gaze but soon succumbed under the pressure. “I’m sorry, kiddos. Your friend isn’t going anywhere.” Clearing his throat loudly, he struggled to find the right words to comfort Pola. “There’s no need to worry because there’s nothing like that old worm in any of the planets. Not naturally at least.”
“So everyone gets to stay together… alive?”
“I mean no one can really say when someone will di-” Luca stopped himself as he noticed the waterworks were about to resume. Looking around in panic, he turned Gertrude for help.
“Pola, sweetie, your friends are going to be okay. I swear on Luca’s life. Now, how about I take Pengu and you to a super fun secret room?” The thought of some playtime dried her tears immediately as Pola scurried after Gertrude.
Pengu no play, but I can protect Pola! The message hung in Alexander’s psyche as he felt the little chick leap out of his arms and chase the two.
Relieved at the calm, Luca slammed a dusty satchel on the table. “That was stressful, but it only gets worse from here, boys. You ready to plan out how to raid the pirate’s lair?” A devilish grin met Alexander, Thomas, and Kai.
----------------------------------------
Fire and ash submerged the mountain base in an inferno of chaos. Screams erupted from all over, but the black smoke prevented the pirates from properly understanding what was happening. Someone shouted something about an army in the North; another said it was birds who were attacking the base, mainly focused on the south and the east.
“THEY’RE HERE! I SEE THEM!!” The scream cost the pirate much of his breath, forcing him to inhale the smoke. He was covered in soot and lying in a pile of downed pirates. Through teary eyes, he could see the attackers: some sort of green golems. They searched through the corpses looking for the source of the alarm. He held it in for as long as he could, but finally, the hiding pirate let loose a cough.
A tall, dark-skinned girl pulled the still coughing pirate out of the pile. “You could’ve stayed quiet. We aren’t here to massacre you people. Not yet, anyway. Your boss just decided to set up shop right by the gate.” Maia punched down on the man, silencing his cough with her crystalline gauntlet. Releasing the man, she walked back into the smoke. “Next volley, men! Make your arrows come from the south now. Our position’s been compromised, and we have to move!”
A gust swept through the area containing the Emerald warriors creating a smoke-free zone. The soldiers stood in a circular formation as they fired arrows flying in impossible angles. Like a well-oiled machine, the warriors slotted another arrow into their bows while silently marching towards the west, moving the line closer their goal: the mountain path leading down. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Maia remained alert as she peered into the fogs of flame. There’s always fire, isn’t there?
Lady Tenia had combined her power with that of the councilmembers to override the gateway and allow their passage into Kedra Island. Although the Jupiter clan had closed it off to Frigg, enough power still made it accessible- similar to how Agni was able to reach Tlaloc’s capital. The beginning of the mission had gone off without a hitch. The gate let them through, and they were able to quickly incapacitate the guards in the temple. They were unprepared, no one had ever infiltrated the Green Mamba’s base like this.
Using their command over the wind, the warriors were able to identify the pirate’s positions throughout the base and quiet those in their route. It was only when they encountered someone who was able to survive the first arrow that Maia was forced to improvise. As the Emerald Warriors fired another volley of arrows, she whistled loudly, signaling them to switch to another arrow type.
They weren’t in danger at the moment. Their slow pace was cautionary rather than a necessity. After the small scuffle with the surviving pirate, the camp had come alive, but their enemy had graced them with the gift of a misfired lightning bolt starting a small fire. To a wind Elementalist, especially archery masters like the Emerald warriors, smoke was the perfect screen to cover their tracks; coupled with their magical control of an arrow’s flight, the pirates had no idea what was happening or where it was happening.
That was until they stumbled onto a second survivor. Maia had no idea how many people had heard the scream, or if there were even more powerful pirates currently at the base to impede their escape, but she still decided to have the warriors expend some more mana to ensure no more survivors. Caution. There’s no room for error here. Lady Venus is too valuable. What’s a full mana tank if she dies.
The new arrows had wings, appearing like birds in the sky once they had been released from the bow. The arrows sang in the air as they followed their designated wind trails, and upon contact, they would explode in a crystalline storm, stabbing deep into their target. The use of the arrows further masked their trails, as Maia hoped any reinforcements would look for them in the skies rather than within their very base.
Stepping over another set of corpses, Maia inspected them to avoid anymore missed survivors. With a hand signal, she commanded the warriors to continue the march. There were less buildings around them, at this point. It appeared they had reached the outskirts of the base and would soon be outside of the Green Mamba’s territory. A smile threatened to escape her lips, but Maia forced it down.
One of the Emerald Warriors whistled back in their secret code. Should we speed up? The strategy was working so far. Everyone was splitting their minds to use wind mana to silence their steps. This had been effective, but it also prevented them from going any faster. She could see it on the warrior’s faces. Although they did not complain, they were beginning to become strained. We don’t need to be fast, though. We need to be safe. Rushing costs lives, and they are nowhere near breaking point. Maia whistled back and combined it with a hand signal. No, we continue at the same pace.
The perpetual volleys and marching continued. The group had encountered no more survivors, and their advance had been smooth sailing. It had been so perfect, that despite the sheer number of pirates they had cut down, Maia had assigned two Emerald Warriors to be in charge of spreading the flames. She intrinsically trusted her gut, and right now, it was telling her everything was too easy. The Emerald Warriors assigned to the task whistled in code. Mana at 30%. Continue fire?
Marching alongside them, Maia gave it a brief thought. Okay, their mana is getting into the low zone. We still need to keep everyone at 20% minimum mana reserves in case we need to make a break for it, and the fire covering our tracks is a boon. We don’t have to stop yet. After all, they still have… they still have… Maia struggled to do the mental arithmetic needed to calculate how much mana her men still had to spend. Alarmed at her sluggishness, she whistled sharply. UNDER ATTACK!
All Emerald Warriors readied their bows as they awaited the enemy attack. Their bodies swayed slightly as they aimed their bows into the smoke. Maia’s senses were dulled by some sort of poison, but she still trusted her hearing above all. Setting down her bow, she closed her eyes and listened in.
She could hear the screams of the pirates and the crackling of the fire, but there was something else. Cutting through the wind, something was barreling towards the group, and it was big. Maia blew out a series of deep whistles as she commanded the Emerald Warriors to get into position. Layered wind walls at 8 o’clock!
Rising from the ground, she sprinted towards Lady Venus. Nearly tackling her to the ground, Maia channeled blue winds to her legs as she lounged as far away as possible.
A giant green snake broke out of the smoke and crashed against the wind wall the Emerald Warriors had prepared. Its open maw revealed giant fangs as it collided against the air bubble at high speeds. Veins bulged in each of the warriors as they struggled to maintain the protective field. Thankfully it held, and the snake careened away from the group, deflected just enough to miss them entirely.
As the snake rolled past the barrier, it allowed Maia to see just how large the snake really was. Its body simply did not end, continuing for minutes on end. As the snake continued to move away, a purple haired woman landed just outside of their barrier. “Well, well, well, looks like I’ve stumbled on a couple of Kukulkan rats. What should I do with you?”