Loss

"Vance, was your childhood friend here on Urth?" Pin asked.

Rania only nodded as they stood by the makeshift grave sitting together she wrapped her cloak around them as they both stood in silence staring down into the depths the smell was still fresh

like rotting corpses, it was unbearable for Pin.

"He was my very best friend the very first time and any other time I came to visit," She whispered.

"If this person can tell our movements then how are we going to fight him?" Pin questioned.

"We will both find-" Rania paused.

[-100 HEALTH]

"What?" Pin shouted.

[Rania. lvl 25. Health points 2600/2700]

"How are you making this thing talk?" Pin asked.

Whatever it was it was fast as they barely dodged its attack Pushing the air from their lungs they fell backward into the dirt as the creature landed in front of them.

A large creature made of dust cackled at them It was a monster that looked like an amalgamation of sand, dirt and leaves. It had long black arms, two sets of legs, a long neck, short body with a torso shaped like an axe head.

"Finally, some interesting company." It laughed.

"It's that bastard who sent you didn't he?" Rania shouted.

"Your boy toy learned a harsh lesson and you still wanna keep going?" It cackled.

"I have no choice!" Pin shouted.

[Pin Faux. Level 30.]

A spark formed around his finger tips, but instead of shooting out, it disappeared after a second or two of blinking rapidly. He wasn't used to having his power yet and he needed more practice.

"I been in hiding for a long time…" Pin whispered.

"Now your magick stops?!" She yelled.

The sand monster laughed again.

"Such a waste of potential," The creature said.

"Fossil Defensive Shroud!" in yelled.

[-200 Spirit]

[ Spirit 1800/2000]

It charged at the duo Pin managed to raise a wall of rock between them and it hit, splintering it with a force they could feel through the ground. It continued on through the cracks, causing them to fall once more.

He could feel his magick contracting his muscles taking his energy away , making it hard for him to even use it properly. But if he didn't do something right now, then he wouldn't be able to use it tomorrow and so on. He couldn't let this creature kill Rania. That was too selfish.

"Divine concealment!"

[-200 spirit]

[Spirit 1600/2000]

If this was what was gonna happen to him, then he would just die trying to save her life. Pin tried to push the pain away and focused on the battle. He summoned another barrier up and jumped back as the monster hit it with full force.

"Stop hiding!" It shouted.

As soon as it said that, a large explosion happened and a blast of wind slammed into the monster. Pin and Rania shielded themselves from the rocks and debris that were falling over. There was no way they were getting out of this without a scratch. Pin could hear Rania's breathing becoming ragged.

"A gross little mud man led me to you," A man smiled.

"Who are you?" Rania asked.

The man had long black hair, a blue tunic and boots, and a mask over his face. 'He sure likes being mysterious' Pin thought.

The man walked toward them. "My name is Leif and I think I know what you want." Pin could feel his eyes narrow slightly at Leif's tone.

Leif turned his gaze to Pin "And you must be Pin Faux," he said nodding to him.

Pin looked up at him, his hands balled into fists "Don't call me that," He warned.

Leif ignored him, "I can show you where you might find the one who you seek. If you're willing, of course."

"You just want to seek us out to give you to whoever this is!" Pin argued.

Leif chuckled, "Oh I think not," Leif grinned wickedly "This is much more entertaining than that," He reached into his pocket pulling out a pair of small glowing spheres.

"Those are like my sphere?" She asked.

"They are magic crystals," Leif explained as he stepped forward handing each of them a sphere.

Rania held hers tightly as she stared up into Leif's eyes "No thanks," She replied.

Pin took his hesitantly as he examined them before putting it in his bag. "These can be useful,"

He gawked down through the crevices of the front of her dress. He hadn't been paying attention until now. He felt his face heat up under her watchful gaze "Uh.." He stammered.

"Hey!" She yelled, "That's private!" She pushed him away, covering herself up.

Pin took a step forward before he realized something felt very off about him. Everything else was normal for him, his clothes, his skin, and even his heartbeat felt steady. He looked down at his own chest and he found nothing abnormal there either. His eyes widened in shock as he began to realize what was happening.

"My immortality...the ogre's curse is gone…" He muttered.

"This is your new home now as long as you go after Searle you are under new rules, but also means he has a chance to take it from you," Leife explained.

"We fell for his trap…" Rania shouted.

Leif juggled the crystals left to right as Pin noticed one red, one gold, one silver, and one yellow.

"Which would you rather have?" He asked.

"One of those has my immortality!" Pin yelled.

"And now you are normal human as any other," He laughed.

"Shut up! Exploding Flash Maelstrom!" Pin shouted.

[-400 Spirit]

[Spirit Remaining 1200/2000]

As though conducting he moved his finger to the side as a flurry of water formed into massive darts of ice, that shot forward toward Leif, Pin, Rania, and a few nearby animals. Pin grabbed Rania's hand as they ran before the ice struck they had escaped the attacks as they ran.

"We gotta get out of here!" Pin noted.

A large barrier of crystals blocked them from view as they ran. They had to make a sharp left turn and enter another tunnel, one lit by bright lights which they followed through. The tunnel seemed to extend for miles before suddenly they heard voices and loud thumps.

Car horns could be heard as they walked past large buildings that Pin has never seen before in awe. As they approached the building, they passed through a set of huge iron doors with guards standing tall at each corner. In the center of the room sat a man on horseback, he had short blond hair and green eyes that shone like emeralds when he spotted Pin and Rania.

Pin levitated without much thought to get over the fence Pin levitated without much thought to get over the fence to avoid detection. As he neared the edge of the roof he noticed that the wall behind them had a hole where it connected to the floor below. He was about to jump to the next rooftop when Rania pulled his arm as she shouted.

"Wait!"

Pin stopped midair to look at her confused before dropping to the ground she grabbed him by the sleeve.

"We can't use our magick here!" She scolded.

"Wha-?" He asked.

"You were scared and ran...Pin you really didn't want to lose your immortality did you?" She questioned.

His whole body was shaking as he stared at his hands. He was trembling and the fear he felt before slowly began to disappear as his body began recovering.

"You need to calm down! This isn't helping you solve anything," She said. She took a deep breath and released a sigh before turning away. "But don't worry. We'll get out of here somehow!" She exclaimed with confidence he nodded his head, still looking a bit pale.

She gave him a gentle smile before jumping over the ledge and heading off on foot into the darkness. He stared at the spot where Rania had stood for a few minutes before he decided to follow suit.

"Rania…where are we even gonna stay?" He asked.

He was scared of the passing loud trucks and cars that were honking in the night. The noise made him nervous, the feeling that something bad might happen. He hated driving with such loud noises and he was afraid he might crash into something or hurt someone. He wasn't used to this kind of thing in the first place, but it had to be done.

"We will figure out something okay? Rania spouted.

"How do we even live in a reality where these beasts make loud sounds and angry people are everywhere?" Pin noted.

"I think I have enough Urth money to fund a night…" She whispered.

Checking her pockets and the small pouch she kept on her belt. She pulled out several bills, counting them. There should be plenty of money for two rooms at least for a night if they needed it.

"Okay…we can start with finding shelter and work our way upward," She said. With the sun setting behind them, they hurried on toward their destination.

"Fine...this is your fault!" He shouted.

"You can sleep with the peasants then!" She responded.

"No! Fine!" Pin yelled.