18 CHAPTER 18: An Unfortunate Meeting

The 7 o'clock sun shone through a large window placed on the left side of Ray's bed, awaking the tired boy. Crawling off of his king sized bed, Ray rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He washed himself and got ready for the day's task. Since Schelo had left him, he had no schedule to follow and could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wished to.

He wore a loose black tee which he tucked into his prussian blue shorts. It was wiser to wear darker colors in case his clothes got stained again. Before leaving the mansion he looked into some cupboards, searching for anything that would keep the toxic air from entering his airways.

In the bottom-most drawer was a silver helmet engraved with green carvings, many of which were symbols that seemed to hold some power within them.

Picking up a note left beneath the helmet, Ray read: 'Appropriately named The Helm of Rejuvenation, this helmet is used to revive those who have suffocated or drowned. It is of no use on a dead person, though.

The helmet, when infused with wind magic, will allow a predetermined amount of fresh air inside it depending on the strength of the magic infused. No air can leave or enter the helmet until the magic energy infused in it runs out.

To whoever finds this, all I, the maker of this artefact, ask of you is that you use this responsibly.'

The letter wasn't signed with any name or date, but Ray could tell it was very old due to the yellow stains and crumpling end. The fact that the ink had stayed on for so long was quite remarkable.

Ray donned the helmet. The front was mostly closed, exposing only his eyes. The back was polished to a smoothness Ray had never thought possible. A line of symbols ran up the middle of the helmet. Except for that, it was identical to the basic helmets found in cheap stalls all around Zodia.

Infusing some of his magic into the helmet, Ray felt a sudden breathlessness suffocating him. He could see a slightly transparent layer of wind magic covering all the open spaces of the helmet, blocking it from the air outside. The breathlessness quickly left him as the helmet seemingly filled up with air. He tried removing the helmet and it came off much easier than he had expected. The harder part was putting it back on while it was still in effect since a thin layer of turbulent winds covered the hole to stop everything from the outside world getting in.

With the helmet held tightly in one hand, Ray walked out of the mansion full of determination. He had been extremely lucky to have found the helmet and would not let this rare streak of good fortune go to waste.

The helmet deactivated by the time he reached the edge of the south gardens. The servants tending to the bushes gasped as Ray jumped over the ledge and made his way down to the stinking plains, though none of them decided to inform either the guards or Haik.

Ray put on the helmet and activated it as the smell got stronger, infusing even more magic into it to make the effect last longer. The greenish-brown liquid he had seen the previous day was actually a darker shade of olive green, and was still bubbling out of the ground. Ray assumed it to be the source of the toxic gas and directed his gaze towards the side of the mansion. A brick wall extended from the ledge and reached all the way down to where Ray stood.

He moved closer to the wall, cursing himself as he stepped into the mushy pool of toxicity and ruined his shoes. He cursed his impatience and unpreparedness, but continued to make his way through the pool, holding back the urge to vomit.

He hit the wall with his fist and as he had expected a loud knock was heard. The wall was hollow and Ray could tell that something sinister hid within it. He created 2 air platforms and stood on them, the disgusting liquid dripping down from his shoes and returning to its source.

Keeping some space between his legs he took on a fighting stance. He concentrated some of his wind magic around his fist, forming a visible torrent that swirled around it. With his wind reinforced hand he punched the brick wall, sending the wind forward with the hit, making the wall seemingly explode after contact.

"[Burst fist] is incredible!" He said to himself as a gaping hole stood where the wall once had. A strong wind not created by Ray exited the hole, pushing him back a little. He would have fallen into the liquid below if he hadn't created another platform to stabilise himself.

The wind seemed to cause a disturbance to the Helm of Rejuvenation since Ray could smell the same tanginess that had nearly killed him the previous day. The darkness within the wall was meant to be explored, but Ray, thinking over it carefully this time, decided to prepare himself thoroughly before entering.

He returned to the mansion with the slimy mud still stuck to his shoes. He threw them away immediately, telling one of the servants to incinerate them as soon as possible.

He rushed to his room barefoot and put on some gumboots he had lying around. From his desk he pulled out a 20 centimetre, translucent rod with a metallic sphere at one end. He also retrieved a sheathed sword from a cabinet next to his bed and left the room as he tied it to his waist.

The servants gasped once again as Ray jumped over the ledge, helmet placed securely on his head this time. He had tied a napkin over his nose and mouth under the helmet for whatever extra protection it would provide. Providing the helmet with much more magic, he entered the hole, sword in one hand and the translucent rod in the other.

The sword was a traditional shortsword made using steel with the Vilhorm family crest sitting at the hilt. The edges had been sharpened to perfection and the body untouched by any scratches since Ray had never actually used it before. The steel sword was heavier than the copper and iron ones found in the market, but the weight was perfect for Ray's quick and flashy style.

Grasping the metallic ball at the base of the translucent rod tightly, Ray sent some of his magic into the ball, causing the rod to light up. The level of brightness depended on the amount of magic provided, but even a small amount was enough to make it shine very brightly.

The area within the hole followed the same brick wall pattern as the outside, but a dark green mossy substance latched onto the walls. The substance lifted up and down periodically, almost as if it was breathing. It extended into the ground below which seemed to be made of the same substance.

Ray had made sure not to step on any of it and was walking on his air platforms from the beginning. The 'breathing' creeped him out and he had no intention of finding out why. Instead he ignored it and went forward into the darkness.

A few metres of walking later he came across a gap in the wall. It was almost the size of a door, but the absence of a door creeped Ray out even more. Every inch of this place shouted at him to turn away, but he went on nonetheless.

The scenery seemed to change instantly as he entered the next room. The most noticeable change of them all being the absence of the green substance. The walls were streaked red and white as if droplets of red paint were left to drip down a white wall.

Ray looked around the room, searching for something obscure that would justify it being hidden behind a brick wall. The left, right and front wall were clear of anything bizarre, so Ray enacted the obvious next step.

He slowly turned around, hoping nothing out of place would surprise him so he could leave soon. Terror overcame his eyes as he came face to face with his worst fear. His legs gave in, and this time he wasn't able to hold back the vomit. The shaking began as soon as the vomiting was done with, not giving the boy even a chance to process what he was looking at.

There in front of him, hanging by ropes tied around their hands were 5 corpses hidden perfectly in the comfort of the room's shadows. 4 of the 5 had bloodied cloth wrapped around their heads, hands and legs. Their clothes had been torn apart, the only thing covering their bodies now were gashes and bruises. Puncture wounds were sprinkled all over the bodies, dried blood and clots dripping down from the circular orifices.

The 5th corpse that hung in the middle wasn't wrapped yet, allowing Ray to involuntarily stare straight into its lifeless eyes. The same wounds were found on this one, but the presence of a familiar face tore Ray's mind apart. A face he recognised all too well.

Hanging by his hands in front of Ray was the body of a man he respected greatly.

The body of the late Schelo.