Chapter 4 - Chapter Three

Chapter Three
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Enter Erik: The Magic Encyclopedia
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(Ross is wearing a backpack made of cloth, which holds rations for his trip to the Felled Woods. In addition, he is wearing his sword on his back. He is traveling on a dirt road, which passes through Crawlers Valley. The valley itself is littered with the skeletons of huge animals. It is a barren place, with only a few shrubs and dried up grass. The dirt appears tainted and black. The sky is cloudy, augmenting the gloomy appearance of the valley. This valley is the only way to get to the Felled Woods.)

Ross:
So this is Crawlers Valley. Not exactly kid friendly. Good thing I came prepared. I'm sure this place will not pose any threat.

(His stomach growls. He begins to look around, and picks out a dead tree. He pulls out his sword, then effortlessly hacks off several of the limbs. He uses these limbs along with flint, which he had in his backpack, to make a campfire. Ross then pulls out some meat and spices and begins to cook.)

Ross:
This place isn't so bad. I would rather be here than at home, that's for sure. (Sigh) Too bad I'm alone. It just isn't any fun.

(He picks some twigs off the ground and throws them in the fire.)

Ross:
I wonder what pops is doing. Now that I think about it, I didn't see him this morning. The King probably summoned him again. Why does he even bother coming home at all if the war is not over?

(He cuts a piece of meat off with a dagger. He stares at it carefully, then gnaws on it.)

Ross:
This sure is good. I'm glad mother packed food for this trip. I would have never thought to bring any spices for the trip...

???:
Yeah, Mommy sure does treat you good, now doesn't she?

(A young boy dressed in light plated armor approaches Ross. He has dark, brown hair and a scar that runs horizontally across his face and over his nose. His eyes are dark and cold. He is most likely the same age as Ross.)

Ross:
Erik, you haven't changed one bit.

Erik:
Neither have you.

(He walks towards the fire and sits down, across from Ross. He grabs a stick off the ground and begins to poke at the burnt logs.)

Erik:
So, what are you doing in a place like this?

Ross:
I'm not exactly on holiday.

Erik:
Of course your not.

Ross:
...

Erik:
So, you've come to train with Kent?

Ross:
How do you know?

Erik:
Well, no one ever travels through here unless they are going to train in the Felled Woods. I thought you hated magic?

Ross:
It was my father's idea.

Erik:
Did you ever stop to wonder why Kent picked the Felled Woods as a training place?

Ross:
Not really but I think you are going to tell me anyways.

Erik:
It has a dense miasma, which is full of magical energy. In other words, this miasma is perfect for novices who have trouble gathering ether from the air.

Ross:
Ether?

Erik:
Kent will tell you more about it later.

Ross:
Why do you know so much about magic?

Erik:
My uncle taught me the basics at a young age. I can show you. Do you want to see?

Ross:
Sure.

(Erik closes his eyes and grasps his hands. Streams of blue energy swirl into his hands like a blue vortex. His hands begin to glow. He releases his hands. A blue orb can be seen floating where his hands used to be. After a short pause, he quickly grabs the orb with one hand and runs to a nearby boulder, thrusting it with his fist. The boulder shatters and turns into a fine, grey dust.)

Ross:
Nice, what is that spell called?

Erik:
Tempest Thrust. I can even use that spell on my sword.

Ross:
Not bad. However, I don't even need a spell to do that. Watch me.

(He draws his sword and points to a bigger rock with his blade. He then charges at it and jumps high into the air. He descends towards the rock. He slashes at the rock in mid air and lands on the ground nearby.)

Erik:
That didn't do anything to the rock.

Ross:
Touch it.

(Erik walks up to the boulder and pokes it with his charred stick. The rock then splits down the middle and falls apart.)

Erik:
No kidding. You have always been on top of the class when it came to swordsmanship...

???:
HELP ME!

(A young girl can be seen farther down the trail, running from a giant spider. She has short, red hair that goes down to her shoulders and is dressed in what appears to be enchanted, blue garments. The spider is huge, about the size of a horse, and is furry with a red hourglass design on its abdomen. The girl is throwing red orbs at the spider, which seem to have no effect on it.)

Erik:
I'll take care of this.

(He jumps in the air and attempts to land a Tempest Thrust on its head. The spider notices its new combatant in time and swings one of its legs at him. The leg hits him in his stomach, and flings him back.)

Erik:
Damn.

(The spider turns back towards the girl and tries to jab her with one of its legs. Ross intervenes and blocks with his sword.)

Ross:
Prepare yourself.

(He does a well-placed vertical slash underneath the spider's head, decapitating it.)

???:
Thank you.

Ross:
My pleasure. Say, what is a girl like you doing out in a place like this?

Amelia:
My name is Amelia, and I was going to see the great master Kent. But then that thing attacked me, and I was so scared. (Sniff) I didn't know what to do.

Ross:
What was that thing anyways?

Erik:
It was a crawler.

Ross:
I always thought crawlers would be, how should I say this, smaller.

Erik:
Well, my uncle says that crawlers are just normal spiders that were born in the miasma. They feed off the magical energy, and thus grow to be huge. Lucky for you that this one was still a baby.

Ross:
Baby, huh? (sigh)

Amelia:
I'm just glad you guys were there to save me.

Ross:
Say, if you are heading to the Felled Woods, then why not come with us? I cooked food.

(He points over to the campfire. However, the food is nowhere to be seen.)

Ross:
Hey, where did my food go?

Erik:
I think he has it.

(Eric points over to a wild dog, who is running off with the meat in its mouth.)

Ross:
DAMN YOU!

(Ross runs after the dog for a while, then collapses. His stomach begins to growl.)

Amelia:
Don't worry. As repayment I will gladly cook some food for you guys.

(She gives a warm, gentle smile, and reaches into her bag and pulls out steaks.)

Erik:
So, do you wish to stay with us? It will be safer if we travel as a group.

Amelia:
Of course!

Erik:
Ross, maybe you should set up camp for tonight.

Ross:
Pent will probably be mad at us for being late.

Erik:
Better late than dead. It's getting dark and the crawlers will begin to get more active.

Ross:
Do you think they will attack the campsite?

Erik:
No, they tend to stay away from fire.

Ross:
Why didn't that other crawler run from Amelia's fireballs.

Amelia:
Those weren't fireballs. They were rocks.

Ross & Erik:
...

(There is total silence for a few minutes.)

Amelia:
Well, foods done. Come and eat!

(The party eats then sets up camp. Amelia goes to sleep while Ross and Erik alternate guard duty throughout the night. The night is rather peaceful, with no events occurring the entire night.)

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