Pathetic Monsters and Past Mistakes

“I am Doom Blot! Fear me! The mightiest of warriors fall before me! Nations tremble at my glorious name! Question whether you have a soul and if it’s worth saving, for I have come to claim it!”

The blue gelatinous creature, jiggling and vibrating constantly, it’s three eyes hovering somewhere in it’s jelly like body, slid across the ground, knocking over trees, picking up rocks and hurling them. Jake and Alex stood stoic before this creature.

And yawned.

“Do not scream for mercy! For I shall give none!” Doom Blot growled.

“We didn’t. We yawned,” Alex said.

“I have felled mighty armies! I have driven nations to quivering terror! I am…”

“About the size of a dog, dude,” Jake said, unimpressed. He looked at the carnage Doom Blot had wrought, knocking over small saplings and tossing average sized rocks with abandon.

“Not even a big dog,” Alex said.

“Makes sense for a Hound class Twisted,” Jake said.

“Look at you, pretending any of this makes sense,” Alex sighed.

“Hey! I am doing something here!” Doom Blot raged, quivering in anger. “Remember? Destroyer? Corrupted? Enemy of the…”

“Oh! Right, sorry, how rude of me.” Alex quickly pulled out three daggers and threw them at Doom Blot. They penetrated its slime, striking the three eyes inside. With a defeated sigh, Doom Blot collapsed into a puddle of goo.

“Gross,” Alex groaned, picking up the daggers, wiping them clean on his shirt.

“How’d you know hitting the eyes would kill it?” Jake asked.

“Video game logic. Obvious weak points,” Alex said as they walked back to the farm house Doom Blot had been bothering. “Plus, even if it didn’t work, not having eyes would suck.”

“True. You’re getting good at the dagger throwing, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Alex said, trying not to feel too cocky as he flipped a dagger in his hand. “Spend a couple of weeks hunting these tiny Twisted, things are bound to rub off.”

“Yeah. When’s the last time we met a real challenging one though?” Jake complained. “My sword is itchy to do something.”

“Hey, be happy we’re being paid to be Sweepers,” Alex said. “Soon we’ll have enough money to push further east.”

It had been a few weeks since the group had left Lugara, heading east on their grand quest for the Eastern Treasure. However, they quickly realized two things. One, provisions cost money. Two, they had no money. So, Elysia convinced them to offer their services as Sweepers, people who took care of Hound level Twisted bothering the more rural, unprotected areas of Aurellion. Jake and Alex thought it sounded pretty cool. Like leveling up in a video game, Alex had exclaimed.

“Still think this feels like a game, bro?” Jake asked as they deposited the gooey sack of Doom Blot in front of the farmer he had been bothering.

“Shut up, shut all the way up,” Alex complained.

Elysia and Kraelin stood in front of the truck, talking with the farmer’s wife, discussing prices. The farmer himself, a grizzled old man, looked to Jake with respect.

“Thank you kindly for the help. The annoying varmint kept attacking my groundhawks. Kept eating the eggs! And the annoying speeches!” the farmer exclaimed.

“Well, we didn’t have any real problem,” Jake said.

“I’m sure you didn’t. Big strapping boy like you!” the farmer said.

“Psh,” Alex scoffed, turning away.

“Um, actually, Alex was the one who…” Jake started.

“It’s admirable you give the credit to your gal! It’s good to keep the fillies happy, right boy?” The farmer slapped Jake on the back.

“Keep the what what?!” Alex sneered as Jake grabbed him, dragging him away.

“Okay, thank you, we’ll be seeing you!” Jake called out, leading Alex back to the truck.

“Lemme shove his face right into the goo bastard’s body!” Alex said as he struggled to break free of Jake’s firm grip. They reached the truck, and Jake pushed Alex into the back seat.

“Problems?” Elysia asked from the front.

“The old guy assumed I did all the work,” Jake said.

“Filly!” Alex screamed.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, we hosed them pretty good on the pay,” Elysia said.

“A little,” Alex grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Think you could do a burnout as we leave?”

Kraelin smiled, getting the truck into gear. The rear wheels kicked up dirt and grass, sending it flying towards the farm couple’s house before they sped away. “Better?” Kraelin asked.

“Marginally,” Alex sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

*

Alex’s fists slammed into Kraelin’s palms again and again.

“Good! Left and right! Cross it up!” Kraelin encouraged.

As Alex practiced his punches, Jake was continuously doing pushups with a large stone on his back. Elysia watched them train as she prepared their meal around the campfire they had set up, Stick sleeping and snoring loudly by her side.

“You know…part of me wonders…why we’re exercising,” Jake said as he struggled with his push ups. “We’ve got these killer bodies already. Shouldn’t we only need fighting skills?”

“Never rely only on magic,” Kraelin said. “You got those bodies by magical happenstance. They’re powered by energy not of your own creation. Your new muscle is all you.”

“Speaking of magic, why isn’t Elysia practicing? “ Alex asked. “She sucks at magic, right? Can’t she get better?”

Elysia threw a small glowing ball of green energy at Alex’s head, smacking him with it.

“I don’t suck at magic,” Elysia said. “My attempts at finding an elemental Talent have simply been…unsuccessful.”

“So you suck,” Jake joked. Elysia put a magic green weight on top of the rock on his back, driving him into the ground.

“Elysia’s magic is good enough as is,” Kraelin stated. Alex relaxed, looking at him with a cocked head.

“Whoa, why do we get the self improvement ass kicking treatment, but her, oh, she’s all good being an okay sorceress?” Alex asked, clearly annoyed.

Elysia and Kraelin share a glance with each other. Jake and Alex caught it, and Jake shook the rocks off of his back.

“Okay, what are we missing?” Jake asked.

“There…was a time I tried to improve myself. Beyond simple training. It…didn’t end well,” Elysia said.

“Didn’t end well like dragging us into another dimension, getting us killed and put into new bodies and getting yourself banished didn’t end well?” Alex asked.

“Yeah,” Elysia sighed. “Years ago, Kraelin and I had another friend. Saphira. She was slightly older than us, always the bold adventurer. Heck, she was the one who first put the idea in my head of someday going to find the Eastern Treasure.”

“Her father was a researcher of ancient technology from the days of the First,” Kraelin said. “The same as my parents. He was there the day they died. An explosion happened. Random discharge of ancient magical energy or something.”

“Ancient technology?” Jake asked. “Like the dimensional thingy we broke?”

“Yeah. Lugara has a Hall of Learning dedicated to studying ancient magical tech. Saphira had easy access to it, since her dad worked there. And…well…” Elysia looked down, averting her eyes from anyone’s gaze. “She knew how badly I wanted to find my Talent. She knew of an artifact there which could supposedly enhance magical abilities. We were young! I was only eleven, she was thirteen! Neither of us knew what would…”

Jake and Alex saw the tears hit the dirt. Kraelin walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “There was an explosion. They did something wrong. Saphira…”

“Oh man…” Jake said. Alex didn’t know what to say.

“Each day I wake up trying to make up for my mistake,” Elysia said. “It’s why I need to find the Treasure. Yes, I want to make the world safe from the Twisted, but also it’s…it’s the only thing I can think of which will let me sleep at night. To…to apologize to Saphira. I want to fulfill her dream for all of us.”

Elysia remained staring at the ground, wondering what her new friends would think of her horrible past. Then she heard Jake grunting and straining. He had the rocks back on him, and Alex was practicing his jabs again.

“What?” Jake asked. “You don’t think we’re gonna let you go sleepless, do you? We’ve gotta bust ass to find the Treasure!”

Elysia smiled, a bright, genuine smile. “You idiots…” she whispered.