TO FIND A MAGE: PART ONE
As soon as we got back from the hunt, Rafael turned on the lights and motioned me to come and sit at the dining table.
“I know that it’s late, but I need you to know that we are traveling to find a mage, the best, to teach you. We leave tomorrow morning and will be about a week long. You need to pack well for the length of time that we will be gone.”
“Are we taking the car?”
“No, we will be taking the truck in that I have in the garage.”
“Alright. I will be ready.”
“Good.” Rafael got up from the table and went down the hall to his room.
I got up and started pulling things out to pack from the room I have been staying in. I neatly stuffed my belongings for the leave in my bug out bag, and I wasted no time getting to sleep; I needed rest after a hunt and then getting up at dawn.
* * *
When morning came, I got up to the sound of Rafael knocking on my door.
“Joey, it is time to start on our way.”
I could hear Rafael’s steps go down the hall, so I hurried to grab my stuff and followed him out to the truck. The truck was black and definitely had some wear from the years, but it was still in good condition, all things considered. The truck had seats in the back, but not a door for them, so we pulled the front seat down to put our stuff in the back. The inside of the truck was a super-clean, black interior and the dash was shiny, lacking dust. I got up into the seat and was looking forward to being in the spacious environment that the truck provided, over the car. The car has remained a mess since the first time we used it.
“This is a nice truck, Rafael.” I spoke up.
“Thanks. I clean it once a week and keep it specifically for traveling. Last time I took the car it got stuck in mud, so I bought the truck so that doesn’t happen again.”
“Will there be mud?”
“Yes, there are a lot of dirt roads on the way to the mage I have in mind.
“Who is the mage?”
“She is called ‘The Grandmother of Magic,’ but her name is Yaoba. I have never seen a magician who could rival her skill. She knows ancient magic from her homeland in Saradel.”
I nodded my understanding and got lost in my head thinking about how good I could be at magic, considering how long it took me to learn basic weapon and hand-to-hand combat. I really hope that I can succeed in magic and one be strong enough to not fear any of the umbra. I want to save people like Rafael saved me.
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Rafael got in and started the truck, separating me from my train of thought. I paid attention as he backed up the truck through the narrow opening of the garage door. I was impressed with how quick he got out of the garage without bumping into anything.
“We will make several stops on the way to make sure that we are rested and can make it safely to Yaoba. We will be stopping at Nobho, Ansdel, Torobi, and finally we will get to the rural area of Kantundel. Make sure to pay attention and be alert because there will be three different times that I will have you drive. It will be safer that way.”
“Alright, I can do that.” I have driven many times before this, my car was the main way I got to places.
As the drive got on it’s way, I decided to sleep for the rest of the time I didn’t get to sleep last night, making sure to be rested when it became my turn to drive. In my sleep I had dreams of umbra consuming myself or people that I care about, so I woke up in a cold sweat several times. The second time, Rafael started checking in on me and making sure that I was okay. I had to really push that I was okay for him to relax and keep him focusing on the road, instead.
* * *
Our trip had been mostly uneventful, until we stayed the night in Nobho. There were swarms of umbra, ready to consume, all around the sketchy motel that I assumed we would be staying at. Once we got out they started coming our way, which led me to believe that the motel was abandoned and we were the only souls around.
“Tonight, we are going on another hunt. This time none can be left, and you must be on your guard, should you value our lives.”
Without another word, I took out my swords, unlocked them, and made sure to kill the screamers so that the umbra in back wouldn’t be aware of us until we were in range to kill them.
I got really nervous when I saw a massive flesh mound lurking my direction. Each slow step it took, the tighter my chest got with fear.
I saw Rafael finishing off the last of the screamers and came up with a plan to kill the giant flesh mound. I was already on my way around the back of the crowd. I used my surge of adrenaline to climb the side of the one story building, next to the giant. When I got to the top, I pulled my shield off my back. Ran, and, times with the giant’s movements, landed with my sword in its core. As the giant was ‘melting’, I jumped to engage in battle once more.
I turned to fight and one of the flesh mounds whipped its tentacles at me and grappled my arms. I was pulled to the ground and my swords fell on the ground. I started to panic as I was being dragged because I knew Rafael had his hands tied, so I reached over my head, grabbing the shield with both hands, and brought it down on the tentacles, similar to cutting food with a spoon. The flesh mound flailed in pain, which gave me enough time to get back on the beat with my swords.
The rest of the hunt was finished off with a sizeable group of flesh mounds. Rafael and I balanced our rhythm with each other, leaving a pile of flesh mounds melting before we took a second to breath.
“Where are we sleeping, Rafael?”
“We are sleeping in the truck.”
“Why the truck?”
“To avoid attracting any more umbra with our scent. We are going to drive over to a populated store and sleep in the parking lot.”
“Alright. I have already come this far. This mage better be incredible.”
“Yaoba is nothing short of incredible, you will see.”
We did just what Rafael said, and parked in a grocery store lot and slept through the night in the truck.