24 The Oasis

"Wow, that's big. Howard, why is it so large," Harley joked, patting him on the back. "You ready to fire sport?"

"Ready," Howard smiled, wiping the sweat off his head. "Where should I aim?"

"Hit the biggest one in the center," Reece pointed over Howards' head and grinned.

Howard had successfully combined the five disparate energies from the six girls into his own, creating a fire ball that extended like a small sun in the swirling sand storm. Stepping forward, Howard felt his body crack before he somehow willed the fireball forward.

"This is harder than getting Monica to let go of me once she falls asleep," Howard smiled and pushed one more step forward. The massive swelling of energy finally seemed to fire forward, turning into a screaming bullet that flourished rapidly towards the large dream beasts approaching.

Boom!

Instantly, the large flaming mass hit into the dream beasts chest, causing it to look down in shock with its white eyes glimmering strangely. The next moment, a large beam of light exploded on it, causing its body to tremble before it shot back and began to fall downward.

"Impossible!" One of the Varlan yelled, looking up at his large dream beast falling towards the ground. "Marlance, Caney! Catch him!" A Varlan named Gorlo tapped a device in his hands, turning to look at the two forms slowly ambling towards his location. Reaching forward, Marlance, a blue skinned giant with green rocks flowing down its body, pushed into the falling form.

Bang!

From the pressure, Marlance's knees buckled and began to fall back before Gorlo turned forward and saw another fiery mass forming in the horizon. In disbelief, Gorlo turned to his side, looking at another Varlan on a horse pulling back on his reigns.

"That might be magic. They can't keep it up forever!" A large, muscular man with several horns on his armor scoffed, clicking a button that sent a tremendous, painful shock to the beasts above him. Holding out his hand, a strange device appeared with a lens on it, that he immediately fired forward.

Swoosh!

Immediately, the device flittered forward and turned into a bird that soared to Howard's location. Tilting towards the floor, the device began to glow before dozens of similar devices appeared behind it.

"Shoot them down!" Harley stepped forward and kicked the floor, sending three fire pillars shooting into the air. "Howard, you got this?"

"I'm fine," Howard squeezed his hands together before six more gigantic masses formed. "Where should I fire this time."

"Aim for their feet," Reece pointed at Marlance, the blue rock dream beast, before she nodded her head. "If you knock those two over, we win."

Bang!

Howard gulped as dozens of the strange birds got crushed in the storm of fire. Pushing the heat from his hands, suddenly two fire balls split in the air, spinning in circles around each other as they advanced forward. A second later, the two large flaming balls struck Marlance's knees.

Instantly, the giant buckled over, dropping Gorlo's hopes along with it. Watching his dream beasts collapse, Gorlo pulled back on the reigns, cursing on his breath before he rapidly clicked down with his hands.

"Back you go! Back!" Gorlo's body suddenly emitted a large white light before the dream beasts behind him began to disappear. They seemed to turn into streams of light that flowed into his body, disappearing as a cloud of smoke into a vent in his arm. "Damn it. They must have a magician! Arlo. What should we do?"

Arlo had a black mohawk above his head with goggles on it, with his toned upper body revealed in the wind. His brown pants ruffled as he jumped off his horse, pulling out a telescope as he looked forward into the distance.

"They-they don't have a magician. They have a brat," Arlo sighed and folded his hands behind a back. "We can come back tomorrow with three more herders. If we attack from three directions they're doomed."

Arlo sighed and looked down at the readings he was getting from the floating device on his arm. An extremely powerful existence lived in the oasis behind the West Branch. The fluctuations, if they were right, indicated a treasure that could change their herds for years to come!

"That damn oasis is the key to destroying the Aresoul. Those damn magicians are trying to claim more territory to the west of the Furnace. I have a feeling if we get to that oasis, what's inside it will let us join on the front line."

"Anyways, they're coming. Let's go," Arlo clicked a button on his wrist, suddenly growing wings before he shot up into the air. The horse beneath his feet somehow disappeared into a array of light, causing Gorlo to sigh before he held out his hand.

A large bird instantly shot out of his fist, turning into thousands of little missiles that struck towards Reece as she approached at her top speed.

Creating a large fireshield, Reece looked up at the two Varlan flying into the distance. Grasping her fist into a tight ball while Howard stopped by her side.

"Did-did they just fly away?" Howard said, scratching his head. "Isn't that impossible down here?"

"Nothing is impossible with the Varlan. You okay?"

Reece felt a tingling sensation in her stomach, looking at the young Howard next to her sweating from every pore. Without his ability, their victory today would've come at a large cost. She smiled, wiping away her fear of having to sacrifice herself as Howard kept looking puzzled into the distance.

"If-if nothing is impossible down here, why do they want what's in the oasis?"

"I don't know, but we've been digging to find out," Reece grabbed Howards' shoulders and pushed him back to Monica. "You and your girlfriend can go on a date there tonight with us if you like? How does that sound?"

"Alone," Monica said crossing her arms, "Harley, I think I earned one night alone with Howard right?"

"Sure, but he'll come to me eventually," Harley giggled and fixed her shirt, looking down and nodding her head. "I'd come too. Anyways, You sure they won't be coming back today?"

"The Varlan are predictable," Reece flicked Harley in the ear. "However, me and you need to talk later. You-you aren't predictable."

"Howard," Reece said with a smile, "Meet me by the oasis in three hours. Until then, give Monica a massage. I think she deserves one from her boyfriend after being so awesome!"

"M-massage?" Monica gulped, looking at Howards hands coming closer to her. "Just-just a massage Howard! Nothing else! I-I just kissed you yesterday! Don't-don't you dare think about it!"

"Sounds good. Well then, after Monica gets her massage. We'll meet at the oasis."