Chapter 34

"This is a different dress," Rika complained when they finished dressing her. "Mine definitely didn't have these extra translucent layers... but the base looks the same. What's going on?" She turned to Ingrid.

"My sister may have made a few alterations," Ingrid said, forcing a smile. "I hope it wasn't too much."

She didn't ask first. Rika sighed and looked at her neck in the mirror. "Any chance you have a light scarf I could use?"

"You really didn't want the mark?" Ingrid asked. "It looks quite beautiful."

"No, I don't want it."

"Okay then. We can help you with that, right, Sigrid?" she called out to her younger sister, knowing she was waiting nearby, wondering if Rika liked the alterations.

"Yes, of course." Sigrid rushed out of the changing room.

"Are you nervous about the ritual?" Ingrid asked.

"Considering I don't know anything about it other than it requires my powers, yes, quite a bit." If I fail this quest, who knows if I'll even keep going. Last time was bad enough.

Ingrid gripped her shoulders and leaned down to stare into her eyes. "You'll be fine, Saint Rika. You have Ferran, the strongest mage in the land, to make sure everything goes smoothly. Heck, if he had the right type of power, he could put the barrier up on his own. Trust him, and you'll be fine. I have to warn you, though, that during a full moon, when your powers are at their peak, demons will flock to you."

Rika's eyes widened. "What? No one warned me about that."

"They either didn't know, or they didn't want to scare you. This needs to be done for all of Thornburg, not just the palace you're used to. You'll still go through with it, right?"

Rika nodded.

"Good."

Sigrid came back in with a silky white scarf that matched her dress. "Here, let me help." Sigrid wrapped it around Rika's neck and smiled. "What do you think?"

"It'll work. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Saint Rika," both Sigrid and Ingrid said, bowing.

"It's time." Ingrid led her out of the changing room, outside to the dais, where the guys were waiting, even Kael, though he was still wrapped up in a magical rope.

"Hello, little bunny." Kael's eyes went to the scarf around her neck. "Oh, that's disappointing to see. Are you that ashamed of our relationship?" he pouted.

Ignore him. Rika averted her gaze and walked past him onto the stone dais, in the middle where Ferran was waiting for her. He placed the rose artifact in the centre of the pedestal and gently led her hands to hold it on its sides.

"Now what?" Rika asked as Ferran kept his hands around hers.

"All you have to do is focus on putting your powers into the artifact."

Rawr! A demon roared in the distance, the ground rumbling as it got closer.

A screen popped up.

'Side Quest: Raise the Barrier Before Anyone is Seriously Injured.'

'Time Limit: Ten Minutes.'

'Reward: Reputation Up, Hope Up, All Suitors' Affection Up.'

'Failure: Hope Down.'

Hope down? Not that again!

The timer counted down.

Frig.

"That can't be good." Wolfe drew his sword.

"Concentrate, Miss Rika," Ferran said, and she closed her eyes. "Good." The tome in his bag floated out in front of him. He read from the ancient text, and the words glowed, surrounding them.

It sounds nothing like our language. Is it Latin? Focus, Rika. She shook her head and refocused on sending her energy to the artifact.

"There's an entire horde of them, and they're getting close." Wolfe stepped off the dais.

Rika's stomach dropped, and she peeked at the timer. I need to focus more. She scrunched her eyes closed and felt Ferran's hands grip hers tighter as he continued the chant. Would it help if I chanted, too? She listened to Ferran repeating the words and tried her best to replicate them.

"You know, I think there are too many demons for just you, Wolfie dear. Guess I'll have to help," Kael said.

"You should stay..." Wolfe glanced back at Kael to see the magical rope around him missing. "How'd you get out?"

Kael smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Tch. Whatever. Make yourself useful."

"Don't I always?"

The horde of demons coming toward them was bigger than expected, full of hulking orcs; short, maniacal goblins; and a towering Minotaur leading the way.

"I'll take the Minotaur." Wolfe took off to intercept them.

"Guess I'll have to do some mob killing." Kael summoned a wand.

What the hell? Why are there so many? Rika shuddered.

"Focus, Miss Rika," Ferran said in between the end of one chant and the start of the next. "Keep going. It won't be much longer."

Rika glanced at the timer again. Less than five minutes. Hurry up energy. Fill the artifact. Oh... Lightheadedness hit, making everything spin, but she kept going.

Wolfe slashed down a few goblins and an orc on his way to the Minotaur, trying to make sure none of the demons went around him.

"You missed one." Kael shot a fireball at Wolfe's side, over his head, and it hit a goblin trying to sneak past.

"Keep an eye on your side." Wolfe threw a dagger from inside his gauntlet at a goblin that was behind Kael.

"Oh, you do care!"

"Tch. Be serious!"

"I'm always serious," Kael hummed.

This is taking so long! Rika tried to keep her focus as the sounds of swords clashing and explosions from Kael's magic rang nearby. Her hands shook, and she took a deep breath.

Golden magical energy flowed out from the artifact, down the grooves in the pedestal, out into the crest in the stone dais below them, filling out every groove.

It's almost there. She glanced at the time again. One minute.

"Keep going, Miss Rika. We're almost there," Ferran said, noticing her waver.

Right. She closed her eyes again. Keep it going.

Never before had ten minutes ever felt so long to her.

"Rika! Watch out!" Wolfe yelled in the distance, too far away, and too busy fighting to make it back to them.

Her head shot up. Still a few seconds. I can't move yet.

Ferran's grip on her hands tightened as worry filled him.

"Rika!" Kael shouted as he sent off a fireball and jumped towards her. The fireball hit the goblin archer nearby. "Argh." Kael grimaced in pain as an arrow shot into shoulder, and he stumbled back a step, nearly running into Rika.

"Kael?" Rika glanced over her shoulder at him as the timer ran out.

He looked over at her and smiled. "All good, little bunny?"

A golden light erupted from the dais and expanded in a dome, linking with daises in other cities, covering all of Thornburg.

Injured demons turned to dust while the rest of them fled, eager to leave before her powers could eradicate them.

A screen popped up.

'Quest Completed: Create the Barrier with Ferran.'

'Reward: All Suitors Affection Up, Hope Up, Ferran's Affection Up.'

"We did it?" Rika sighed.

"Yes, Miss Rika." The green rose above Ferran's head glowed.

A second screen popped up.

'Side Quest Failed: Raise the Barrier Before Anyone is Seriously Injured.'

'Failure: Hope Down.'

Wait, what? "Kael?" Rika turned to him as he kneeled down on the ground, gripping his shoulder. She rounded him and gasped as she saw the arrow in his shoulder, blood trailing down. "Oh, no!" He took an arrow for me?

"Stupid goblin archer," Kael muttered and ripped the arrow out of his shoulder with a groan. "You okay, little bunny?" Kael huffed as he gazed up at her, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Rika nodded. "Tired, but okay." Worried about the fail, though.

"Did you say a goblin archer got you?" Ferran asked as he picked up the arrow.

"Yes, why?" Kael raised an eyebrow, holding onto his wound.

"Because it's a poison arrow."

"Just great. I wonder if it's one I'm immune to or not?" He peeked under his hand and spotted green veins growing out from his wound. "Guess not."

"Move your hand." Rika reached out to Kael's wound and closed her eyes.

"But Miss Rika, you've already used a lot of your energy!" Ferran complained but hesitated to stop her.

Heal. Take away the poison. Close the wound. She repeated the thought until her powers flowed into Kael.

Kael's breathing steadied, and he gave her a strained smile. "Thanks for the save. I'm feeling better already."

"Good..." Everything went blurry, and Rika fell to the side.

Ferran caught her. "Miss Rika?"

Guess I used too much. Or maybe the hope up from one quest wasn't enough to counter the hope down?

"Miss Rika!" Ferran hugged her close to him as he called out to her.

"Rika!" Wolfe came charging in. "What happened?"