Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 (44 page)

Triska waved her hands defensively and shook her head with a worried smile at the two newcomers.

“I’m sorry; I meant no disrespect with that, really. I was just curious, that’s all,” she pleaded. The two new girls whimpered then put their masks back on, with the group watching them with concern as they turned away from everyone.

“You think we’re freaks,” the raven haired girl said softly.

“You think we’re monsters,” the blonde said sadly.

“No, we don’t, really,” Daniel assured with a worried smile.

“Way to go, Triska, once again you failed to stop talking one sentence earlier than you should have,” Alyssa commented flatly.

“Oh come on, it was a harmless question, and I was genuinely curious, that’s all! I wouldn’t care if they were monsters or not, I just wanted to know!” Triska cried out. Specca shook her head and then walked over to the newcomers with Squeak, gently putting her hand on the raven haired girl’s shoulder. The newcomers looked to them with frowns as Specca smiled gently at them.

“We don’t judge anyone here for who or what they are, and we certainly won’t pass judgment on you two just because you have unique eyes. Please, you’re more than welcome to come with us if you’d like, we won’t leave you out here all alone like this,” Specca said kindly, with Squeak nodding with a small squeak as well. The nixie smiled knowingly and held up her hand, showing her scales to the girls.

“I used to hide what I was, and I hated it. You two don’t need to hide with us,” she assured. The two newcomers looked at them curiously as Specca and Squeak gently removed their masks and put them in the girls’ hands.

“Please, what are your names?” Specca asked. The raven haired girl smiled gently and turned to face her.

“My name is Jovian, and this is my sister, Jacqueline,” she introduced while gesturing to herself and then her sister.

“Hello,” Jacqueline said softly.

“It’s nice to meet you, my name is Specca, this is Squeak, the witch behind us is named Alyssa, and the one leading our journey is Daniel. You’ve already met Triska, and unfortunately you’ve also met Falla,” Specca said kindly while waving around to everyone, with the last part having a flat tone as she gestured to Falla who scowled at her. Jovian and Jacqueline looked around at the group then to Daniel curiously as he waved to them.

“Leading your journey? Journey for what?” Jovian asked.

“We’ll explain on the way, it might take a while to do so,” Daniel said with a small shrug.

“Ok, fine, they’re coming with us; can we please get going now? Luna’s getting further away from us by the second,” Falla asked with exasperation. Daniel rolled his eyes then looked around the area as the sky was turning to night.

“Alright, we should get going then. We won’t be traveling for long though, it’s getting late and we need to stop soon for the night. Let’s put some distance between us and this graveyard and then we can prepare some dinner before turning in for the day,” he announced. The girls nodded and started making their way back to the caravan, with Falla quickly running ahead while Triska, Specca, Squeak, and Alyssa followed after. Daniel started to walk after them before Jovian spoke up again.

“Daniel?” she asked. The boy stopped and looked back to her while the other girls except for Falla glanced back to them. Jovian and Jacqueline looked to each other with warm smiles then to the boy as they walked up to him.

“Thank you, for your kindness,” Jovian praised gently.

“Yes, thank you,” Jacqueline agreed. Daniel smiled and nodded at them.

“Of course, we’re not bandits after all, we’re here to help,” he assured.

“We see that now, it’s good to know we’re safe with you and your friends,” Jacqueline said looking over to the girls. They all smiled a bit and nodded while Falla was watching them impatiently from the driver’s seat on the caravan.

“C’mon you guys, let’s go!” Falla barked out. The girls looked to her with dull expressions as all but Triska started walking towards the ride.

“Falla, just shut up!” Alyssa shouted out.

“You are not in any position to order us around, any more of that and you’re not coming with us,” Specca asserted firmly. Squeak merely squeaked something at Falla while pointing to her, with everyone of course having no clue as to what she was saying. Triska shook her head a bit at them then looked over to seeing Jovian and Jacqueline smiling kindly at Daniel.

“Thank you, Daniel. Um, could you give us just a moment, we’re still a bit shaken up about our ordeal, we’ll be along very shortly,” Jovian requested kindly.

“Yeah, we won’t be long, please?” Jacqueline added.

“Of course, come on over whenever you’re ready,” Daniel said before walking away from them. As he neared Triska the girl raised an eyebrow at him before walking alongside the boy towards the caravan.

“You really are too chivalrous, you know that?” Triska pointed out dryly.

“I’m just doing what’s right, the same as all of you are. We can’t leave them out here all alone, especially with man-eating monsters lurking about,” Daniel reasoned. Triska smiled softly and nodded before taking hold of his hand, with the boy glancing to her curiously as she watched him with loving eyes.

“I know, and that’s part of why I love you so much, Daniel. We’re just not so crazy about two more girls sharing the caravan with us for a while, if you know what I mean,” she said with an expectant tone at the end. Daniel chuckled and looked ahead with a weak smile.

“Oh, c’mon, I really doubt those two are going to cause us any trouble, they seem perfectly harmless,” he said with a shrug. Triska nodded with a slow murmur then glanced back to seeing the new girls talking to each other.

“Fair warning, if they claim at any point during this trip that they love you, we’re going to kill them, just so you know,” she said with a calm smile at Daniel. The boy sighed and nodded with a weak smile to that.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to be honest. Still, like I said, I don’t think they’re going to cause any problems for us, we’re just giving them a lift to the nearest village, that’s all,” he reasoned.

As he and Triska walked together towards the caravan Jovian and Jacqueline watched them with sly smiles on their faces.

“They look delicious, especially that fishy looking one, I bet she tastes
really
good,” Jacqueline said licking her lips. Jovian chuckled and glanced to her with a twitch of her eyebrow.

“They do seem nice, I wonder how loudly they can scream, I’m sure that little witch could scream just like a little girl for me,” she mused.

“Are we going to eat them tonight though? I’m still full on lycan,” Jacqueline mentioned while rubbing her belly. Jovian giggled and rubbed hers while shaking her head.

“No, not yet, let’s build up more of an appetite for them. Besides, they’re searching for two more, if we stay with them a little longer we’ll have even more to sink our teeth into,” she reasoned.

“A human child that lost her parents to man-eaters, I wonder if they were referring to that little girl that ran away from us the other day,” Jacqueline wondered with a curious smile.

“My my, that would be quite a treat indeed, and to top it off that butterfly girl that escaped us the other night is being searched for as well. This will be so rich, we’ll be able to devour them all together,” Jovian giggled.

“Yeah, then we can honestly say that nobody has ever escaped us, I miss being able to say that,” Jacqueline said with a mocking pout. The two giggled then started walking towards the caravan where Daniel and the other girls were already boarded and ready to ride out in.

“Come, let’s help our new friends find those two poor, lost girls out in the wilderness,” Jovian said with a cold smile.

“Yes, and then they can all scream in agony together, it’ll be a lovely meal to die for,” Jacqueline said with a dark gleam in her eye, the two then giggling in perfect unison with each other as they walked towards their new prey.

In the world of Eden, trusting new people wasn’t always a simple thing to do. It had to be earned, often times over a period of time. Occasionally, they may prove themselves with an act of kindness or generosity, or give solid reason that they can be counted on and follow through with what they said, while other times there may be no other choice but to put faith in the hands of these strangers out of sheer desperation. Still, there were times where it was easier to trust others, especially if a friendship forms between the two parties. Should similar interests, goals, or point of views be shared, trust could be made more easily between them. However, it was always important to be sure who you placed your confidence with.

You never knew if they were actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

*****

Under the night sky a campfire was seen next to a small stream, the light illuminating a clearing which some travelers had stopped to rest in. At the edge of the clearing Daemon was sitting back against a tree while looking up at the stars with a distant gaze, his fingers gently drumming along the handle of his sword while he showed no signs of fatigue. Next to the campfire Forrus was sitting on a small log while having a stunned expression on her face, her eyes staring straight ahead as she shakily tried to steady her breathing. Across from the lycan Sasha was sitting on the ground with her sword struck into the dirt behind her, the reptile girl leaning back against her blade while her tail lay at her side. Her eyes were just gazing into the fire, watching the flames flicker and crackle while seeming to be deep in thought. And next to her Rulo was sitting down on her stone hammer, the orc picking her nose with a dull expression on her face as she didn’t show any interest or concern in their newest group member’s frightened state.

“That… that simply cannot be,” Forrus managed to get out as she couldn’t steady her breathing properly.

“Well it is,” Sasha merely replied with.

“How could… how could that be true though?” Forrus questioned.

“Hey, you calling us liars?” Rulo snapped at her. Forrus glanced between the two cautiously then over to Daemon as the boy was just looking up at the stars still.

“Daemon, I thank you for agreeing to help me should we come across my pack’s killers, and I meant it when I swore my life to you in exchange, but I must ask, what proof do you have of such a dire tale?” she asked with growing concern. Slowly the boy looked to her with his cold blue eyes, silence falling upon the clearing except from the crackling fire. Forrus started to grow nervous as all eyes were on her, with the lycan then lowering her head with remorse.

“I mean no disrespect, please forgive me for sounding so rude, it’s just… being told about the end of the world like this, asking for any proof at all is a reasonable request in order to accept… such a grave thing,” she said softly. Daemon watched her for a moment then stood up, with Forrus looking to him with worried eyes as the boy started walking towards her.

“There are three legends surrounding those artifacts, only one of which was deciphered correctly yet disregarded in favor of the other two,” he started, with Sasha and Rulo looking down with closed eyes as they listened as well. Daemon approached Forrus who watched the boy with high interest, seeming to tune the world around her out entirely.

“The first claims, ‘Those who find all eight fragments of the Key to Eden will unlock a great treasure’,” Daemon said, with Forrus tilting her head slightly with wonder.

“The second claims, ‘Those who find all eight fragments of the Key to Eden will find the greatest power of all’,” Daemon continued as he started to circle around the lycan. He then stopped behind her, with Forrus looking back to him with a curious glance as the boy gazed up at the stars again.

“And finally, the third claims, ‘Those who find all eight fragments of the Key to Eden will unlock the greatest power of all’,” he finished.

“But, two of those are the same, they both say a great power will be given to those who unlock this… um, wait, unlock what exactly? Eden is the name of our world, how can anyone unlock that?” Forrus asked with confusion.

“You’re wrong, on both accounts,” Daemon said shaking his head.

“One legend claims you will
find
such a power, the other says you’re
releasing
it, there is a difference,” Sasha pointed out.

“Either you find gold or are given some almighty power, of course anyone who tried to figure it out would like to assume they’re getting something great out of this,” Rulo scoffed while rolling her eyes. Forrus looked at them with puzzlement then to Daemon as the boy walked around in front of her.

“That succubus believes opening the seal to Eden will bestow upon her the greatest power of all, that she will become more powerful than any other being in the world,” Daemon said while watching the lycan with a piercing stare, the girl showing confusion still as she slowly shook her head.

“But… wait, ‘opening the seal to Eden’? How do you open the world?” she asked.

“It’s not talking about the world, it’s talking about a place, dummy,” Rulo snapped. Forrus looked to her curiously then to Daemon as the boy nodded to that.

“A city, to be exact, one that is long forgotten and buried in this world,” he explained. Forrus looked at him with wonder then showed some concern.

“A city that holds what within it?” she asked, growing afraid to know the answer.

“A Darker One,” Rulo said cautiously.

“
The
Darker One,” Sasha corrected solemnly. Forrus glanced to them worriedly then to Daemon as the boy had a serious expression on his face.

“The greatest and darkest power in all the world, sealed away by the power of that ancient artifact, that is what lies within the forgotten City of Eden,” he stated, with Forrus feeling a cold chill running down her spine from his words. Daemon looked to the fire with a distant gaze while Sasha and Rulo watched Forrus carefully.

“That is why we hunt that succubus, why we must stop her from collecting the fragments of the key,” Sasha explained.