CHAPTER TEN

ACT 3: Versus

10.

When Florian woke up, he saw that Thorin had been up already. Thorin stared at him.

"What is wrong?" Florian asked.

"He is gone." She had said.

"What?" He looked around and noticed what she meant. The bald man as well as Alaric had been missing. Left in his place was a pouch of sentz.

"Why didn't you wake us?"

Thorin shrugged. "If he is headed to Versus, I want no part in it. I need at least one of you to rescue my people."

Florian woke up Ashe.

"What are you doing?" Thorin asked.

"We are going to rescue him."

Thorin raised her blade towards Florian. "I don't think you are. We are heading towards Isern."

"What is going on?" Ashe asked.

"Alaric is heading towards Versus. Come on, we need to go get him." Florian explained.

Thorin brought her blade to Florian's neck. "As I said, we are not going to Versus."

Florian sighed. "We are not abandoning him. You need him as well, we will never rescue the people from Chapman's grasp without him."

Ashe got between Thorin and Florian. "He is our brother as well. And just like you, we are not going to abandon our loved ones."

Thorin sighed. "If it gets too dangerous, I will be dragging both of you to Isern."

Ashe and Florian nodded.

"Let's head to the village. We need to get some horses." Thorin instructed.

The trio headed to the village where they'd returned the woman from the previous night.

The village had been similar to Nezzagwyn but far smaller. The young woman from the previous night spotted them and shook another older woman, presumably her mother. The older woman called them over.

"Thank you again for saving my daughter, milords" The woman bowed.

"There is no need to thank us, we couldn't stop her from getting cursed," Florian said.

"I'd rather have a cursed child than a dead one, milord." "It is rare to see you with casters, Thorin. Are you in trouble again?"

Thorin's expression softened. "No, it is nothing like that, Miss Olyve. We are just temporarily working together." "We came to ask if you have seen another caster. He is tall, has a black robe and is possibly travelling with a bald man with weird symbols on his head."

The younger woman shook her mother gently as she tried to speak. "I know dear." Miss Olyve whispered. "You are talking about the kind young man who visited us late last night. My daughter is quite infatuated with him." The younger woman blushed as her mother laughed.

"Do you know where he was headed?" Ashe asked.

"He mentioned that he needed a horse, so I showed him to the stables. Did I do something wrong, milady? Is he in trouble?" Miss Olyve asked.

Ashe shook her head. "No, he is fine. We were wondering if you could show us to the stables as well."

"It would be my honour, milady."

MIss Olyve instructed them to follow her. As Florian followed, a hand reached out and grabbed his. It had been the younger woman. She had been sulking. Florian reached out and patted her on the head. "Do not worry, he will be fine. I will make sure of it."

The woman gave a small smile and headed back to her house.

Florian caught up with the rest.

"Was Otsana giving you trouble, milord?" Miss Olyve asked.

"Not at all, she was just a bit worried is all."

Miss Olyve brought them to the stablehand, whom they paid.

"This may be a bad time to bring this up, but how does one ride a horse?" Ashe asked.

"You have got to be joking. Where'd you people even come from?" Thorin asked.

"Diable Island," Florian answered.

"Diable Island? Never heard of the place."

Ashe and Florian looked at one another.

"Anyway, you are going to have to learn how to ride a horse as we head to Versus. You will have to beware of the desolate lands around Versus." Thorin warned.

"What do we have to be wary about?" Florian asked.

"Not many dare to step foot close to Versus, those that do have become bandits ready to strike at unsuspecting travellers. Being close to the Nix, there might be an occasional Nixum spotting."

"The Nix?" Ashe asked.

"I swear you do not know anything. The Nix is a walled-off region to the north, where the Nixum are allowed to roam freely. Nobody lives there."

Thorin then hopped onto her horse and instructed the rest. They said their farewells to Miss Olyve as they strode out of town.

As they rode between the trees, Thorin brought up a question. "What is the deal with Alaric?" She stared at Florian who chuckled at the question.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He is just...weird. He acts like he knows everything and is most of the time stone-faced. Why would he act rashly all of a sudden?"

"He had been acting differently ever since we left the island. But this is rather out of character for him, he would not do something this risky." Florian answered.

"I don't think that is the truth," Ashe said.

"What do you mean by that?" Florian asked.

"I think he has acted differently since the day of the massacre." She answered.

"Massacre?" Thorin asked.

Florian hadn't answered, he kept his eyes forward.

"Touchy subject, I guess?" Thorin asked.

Ashe nodded.

After a few days of travelling, they reached the lands around Versus. Florian now understood why Thorin called it barren. There had been nothing but dirt. There had been no hills or grass. The land had been flat, so they could see further than usual. In the distance there had been a large concentration of mist gathering. There had been no sign of Alaric. It had been raining constantly.

"Does the rain ever stop?" Ashe asked.

"No! No one understands but the rain here does not ever stop!" Thorin yelled. Her voice was barely louder than the pouring rain.

"Shouldn't we be seeing Versus by now?" Florian asked.

Thorin used her blade to point forward. "Those mists are Versus!"

"I thought it was a mountain!" Ashe yelled.

"This is the closest I have been to it, I am as clueless as you are!" Thorin yelled.

Florian's horse came to an abrupt stop, cries of equine pain emanated from Florian's horse.

Florian scanned his horse for the cause of the issue. A black goo-like creature hung from the bottom of the horse. The creature resembled a miniature shark. Florian looked behind him and noticed the predicament they had been in. Behind them, hopping out of the dirt like a fish out of water, had been dozens of goo-sharks.

"Nixum behind us!" Florian yelled.

Thorin and Ashe had both turned to witness the attack. "Faster!" Thorin yelled as her horse sped up.

Florian manoeuvred his body so that he leaned on the side of the horse. He swiped his shortsword at the creature nibbling on his horse. After a few swipes, the creature let go of the horse. The horse calmed down from his panic. At Florian's instruction, his horse sped forward again. He had been far away from the other two. His horse had been in pain from its cries as it ran. Florian did not bother looking backwards. This came at his demise as he felt a sharp pain on his left bicep. He yelled a curse. He glanced at the origin of the pain. The Nixum hung from his bicep, its sharp teeth gnawing at his skin. Black goo oozed down his left arm, it stung as it moved. Florian held his balance on the horse with his legs as he cleaved the nixum. Once the blade passed through, the nixum just turned completely into goo. Florian slowly and carefully changed the way he sat on the horse. With the horse heading forwards, Florian sat facing the rear of the horse. The nixum hadn't been far behind. Some tried to jump at Florian who used his sword to keep them at bay. Things went from bad to worse when Florian heard more horse gallops to the east of him. There had been men dressed in rags, their faces were covered by cloth and they all wielded crossbows. While Florian took his eyes off of the nixum, one had dived at him and caught his right shoulder. He cried in pain as he dropped his sword to the ground. He grabbed the nixum and attempted to yank it out of his shoulder to no avail. Both of his arms had been a bloody, gooey mess. An arrow whistled through the air. Florian heard a cry as his horse collapsed under him. Florian fell face-first onto the dirt. This is the end. The nixum hadn't attacked immediately. They used the dirt as an ocean and circled Florian, only their black fins protruding the dirt. Florian laid there with a muddied face waiting for his demise. The crossbowmen had waited far to the east. Probably to pick up the scraps. The nixum stopped circling and began combining into each other. Florian watched as the fin grew larger and larger. Once there was only one fin, it jumped out of the dirt towards Florian. It had been shaped like one large shark made of goo. Florian closed his eyes, falling to notice the elongating spear pushing the air. The spear pierced the nixum causing it to return to the goo-like substance. He opened his eyes just in time to see Thorin yanking him up and onto her horse.

"You guys better reimburse me for this!" Thorin yelled.

Ashe hadn't been far away from them trying to keep hold of her now shrinking spear. "We have to move before it reforms!" She yelled.

They set off.

"We have another problem! How do we deal with those guys?" Thorin asked.

The crossbowmen had their sights aimed at the two horses.

"I will deal with them." Florian groans. He chanted quickly.

The ground around the crossbow men's horses liquidated causing them to tumble. The group watched as the nixum turned their sights to the easier targets. The large shark massacred the men.

"I...killed...those people," Florian whispered as he rode behind Thorin.

"They tried to kill you. Do not worry about it." "You look really bad."

Florian could not move his arms much and the little he could come at immense pain.

"I feel bad too."

The rest of the way had not been as stressful. It seemed like the closer they got to Versus less and fewer bandits started appearing.

Eventually, their trip came to an abrupt end when a huge gaping abyss stopped them from a few paces from the gigantic concentration of mists that reached the sky.

"How are we going to cross that?" Thorin asked.

Ashe shrugged.

Florian hadn't said anything, he had been trying to preserve his strength.

"If he isn't here, I swear I am going to rip his head off when I find him," Thorin said.

"He'll be here," Florian whispered.

"How about we follow this edge and observe for an entrance?" Ashe suggested.

Thorin nodded along as they headed east alongside the abyss.

Half a day passed when they saw a horse standing close to the abyss. There had been no rider.

"That has to be Alaric's horse," Ashe said.

"That would mean there has to be an entrance somewhere close," Thorin said.

They dismounted their horses and scanned the edge on foot. It did not take them long to find the entrance. It had been an old run-down rope bridge. Half of it hovered over the bridge while the rest of the bridge crossed in the mists.

"We are not crossing that. One misstep and splat." Thorin said.

Ashe chuckled.

"I agree with Thorin." Florian groaned.

"Come on, we have no time to be cowards," Ashe said.

Ashe stepped on the first plank of the bridge and it creaked under her foot.

Thorin helped Florian walk. "You know, I think I will just stay here," Thorin said.

"Are you perhaps afraid of heights?" Ashe asked.

Thorin flushed causing Ashe to laugh. "Not afraid to stand up to casters but deathly afraid of heights."

"I am not afraid of anything," Thorin said as she followed behind Ashe.

Progress across the bridge had been slow. Most of the planks had been wet from the constant rain, some even broke. Once they entered the mist-covered segment of the bridge it had become even harder for they could only see what was directly in front of them. Sounds could be heard within the mist. It was loud grumblings, it sounded as if something had been dragged across a stone floor.

"What in Heinzidal's name is that?" Thorin asked.

"Whatever it is, it is at least a sign of life," Ashe said unconvincingly.

"Or a sign that we are about to die," Thorin said.

Ashe gulped as she took the next step.

A painfully loud zing went through her head. She held her head while trying to maintain her balance.

"You feel that too?" Thorin yelled.

"Yes!"

"I don't like this."

"We're going to have to power through!"

"Remind me to never travel with loonies from whatever island!"

Ashe didn't have the mental capacity to laugh. She just continued forward. The sound in her head got worse as she went. Eventually, the end of the bridge was in sight.

"Land!" Ashe yelled.

Ashe stepped onto the stone ground. Suddenly the mists around her cleared. The sight had been other-worldly. A larger than life green serpent towered before her. The snake hissed loudly at her. As it hissed the sound in her head grew larger. It had shown its large fangs. The serpent had large runes carved into its green scales, where the mists seemed to swirl around. The serpent had been large but what stood behind it was even larger.

Three mountains stood proudly behind the serpent. Unlike regular mountains, the three mountains had flat peaks and instead of widening, they became extremely narrow as they went to the base. How these mountains even stood without collapse had been a mystery. Also unlike regular mountains, these mountains had been slowly made up of stone. The largest of the three stood in the middle, Ashe noticed that she could make out tiny squares carved into the mountain. This is Versus.

Thorin and Florian joined her and paused as they witnessed what she had. Ashe felt a prick at her skin and the world suddenly became dark.

Ashe woke up in a panic. Her panic made her surroundings sway.

"Calm down. Don't move too much." A voice to her left.

She analysed her surroundings. She had been in a wooden cage. Thorin had been alongside her in the cage. There had been no sight of Florian. The cage had been floating high above a chasm. The mist made it difficult to see how high they had been. The cage had been attached via metal chains to a metal spike that had been stuck in a stone high above. In front of her had been a large square room that had been carved into the stone. She couldn't make out anything in the room due to the darkness.

Where are we?

"Versus." A voice to the left as if it read her mind. "Near the peak."

Ashe looked towards her left. A similar cage hung there. A figure sat with crossed legs.

"Alaric?" Ashe asked.

"You shouldn't have come," Alaric said.

"Where is Florian?" She asked.

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "He came with you did he not? You should know where he is."

Ashe cursed.

They hung in the cages perilously with only uncertainty below them.