Chapter 2: Harlequin
A violent vibration rushes through the earth as light begins to come over the distant horizon. Soon after, an ear-splitting growl rips apart the air.
Multiple villagers rush out of their houses from being rudely awakened early in the morning.
One villager approaches the chief, "What was that?"
The chief has a grim expression on his face. "I believe some fool has aggravated the cliff's Cave Worm."
After hearing this, some villagers begin whispering to each.
"Isn't the Cave Worm supposed to be undefeatable?" one villager asks another.
"Yeah, for people who live in villages like ours."
Another villager speaks up, "We could ask Harlequin to deal with the Cave Worm and save the idiot who angered it."
The villagers turn to look at the chief for his input. "Very well. I will approach Elise and request for Harlequin's help."
--------------------------------------------------
The chief stepped into the inn greeting the girl at the desk. "Good morning. Can you tell me which room Harlequin and Elise are in? I need to ask them to handle an important task for the well being of the village."
"Morning chief," the girl says with a smile. "They are in room nine."
"Thank you." The chief begins walking down the hall to the right of the desk, and stops when he is in front of the wooden door with a nine carved into it.
The chief took a deep breath and collected himself before knocking on the door. The truth is he is a bit intimidated by the two occupants of this room. Both of them have quirks that make interacting with them awkward.
A screech signals the door being opened. Elise stands on the other side, dressed in a pale blue knee length dress with ruffled short sleeves. The fact that she is dressed suggests that she already knows something is going on and that she is planning on doing what she can to help.
"Ah, good morning Chief Audric. Is there something I can help you with?"
The chief takes a moment to collect himself before answering. "Yes. I want you to ask Harlequin to save an idiotic fool who disturbed the Cave Worm in the cliff."
An understanding smile came onto Elise's face. "Understood chief. We will be out shortly." She gently closes the door, and Chief Audric hears her call out to Harlequin. "Master!"
--------------------------------------------------
Harlequin and Elise stand at the edge of the village watching as a man they both know well is sent flying toward the village by the tail of the Cave Worm slamming into his shield. "WOOOAAH-ARGH!"
Elise shakes her head in disappointment as he crashes through a few houses in the village before coming to a stop. "Master, get rid of the worm."
Harlequin raises his left hand towards the incoming monster. An ivory wand with criss-crossing spirals carved into the handle comes into existence in his grip.
He starts to murmur a chant under his breath. As he does little glittering gold lights begin appearing in the air throughout the village and around it. The lights quickly collapse inward towards the tip of his wand when he finishes the chant, forming an egg sized ball.
A second later the ball of light surges toward the Cave Worm so fast that the human eye can not follow it and the monster can not dodge it. On impact, the golden ball explodes, causing a shock wave so powerful it knocks everyone present off their feet and fills the air with an abundant amount of gold smoke.
Once the smoke drifts away, the villagers that have gotten back up on their feet stare in awe at the crater created by the explosion; it easily can fit five or six of the houses from the village in it.
Harlequin laid on his back for a few moments before getting up at Elise's prompt. "That idiot is probably injured, Master. Let's go dig him out of the rumble and heal him."
The two of them walk away from the spectators and into the village, ignoring the houses destroyed by the shock wave from Harlequin's spell.