Hey. Sorry for leaving you all in the dark for over a week. I got caught up in Christmas parties, festivities and playing Deepwoken. I’m now back with a new chapter.
It’s a bit longer than most chapters I write so take your time reading.
I’ll publish the Character Profile document after I wake up. Enjoy.
Asura walked off into the deserted lanes of the Oasis. He eyed the ruined buildings. Each of them had a mark of conflict stained on it. Blood, a slash mark. A crater embedded in the sandstone. Just how far did the fight lead too? he thought to himself. Wondering all sorts of heroic feats that would have been achieved on both sides of the battle. The early sea breeze blew into the Oasis, casting dust into the air. A dusty fog laid low on the Oasis. Asura had to squint to ensure no sand got in his eyes, as he continued to walk forward. I should probably search for a medicine house, or an alchemist’s shop. Potions to help Julius and Kaladin recover. He felt proud of his thought. Knowing that he was still capable of consideration for his friends, despite hurting Joyce.
He walked more and more. Checking each sign of arcane symbols that would identify the shop he needed. Asura pointed his finger on each of the stores, reading their names out loud. “Sam’s Smith Services, Charon’s Emporium, The Blight Dream… that one’s probably a tavern.” He kept on going, reading out the names and stands of various stores. Tailors, food vendors, pawn shops, and even that service. Each building was colored and symbolized with whatever correlated what was being sold. But nothing that gave a hint towards medicine or alchemy. Maybe all of that stuff is in another district? Asura scratched his head.
He looked forward, trying to scan any sign of direction to head into another district. A human figure could be seen in the distance. It was a girl. Her curves and physique were easy to make out at the distance. Asura walked closer to get a better look. What if it was Tracy or Nancy? They’re probably weak. As he got closer, the dust subsided and the familiar and strained face was clear to him. Asura recognized her now. The chocolate brown skin and thin violet garments that caused them all to blush yesterday.
“Hey! Hey! Aisha!” Asura shouted, waving towards her. The girl looked over to Asura. She turned to him, and the shadows of a large object appeared on her back. “She’s carrying something?” Asura muttered, and headed over to assist her. His run came to a stop, when he saw those blazing eyes and dark crimson hair. Aisha carried Vega on her back. On top of his body, was Scarlett’s ruined and muddy face. Her beauty stripped from her. Asura felt rage fill his body. Violent and carnage instinct consumed his mind, but the voice in his head whispered again. Think logically. Asura snapped out of it.
He ran up towards Aisha, doing his best to put on a smile. Aisha looked towards him. Her face was covered in dirt, and her vibrant clothes were smothered with sand. She teared up at the sight of Asura, and ran at him as fast as she could. “Thank the Gods! You’re part of that group that visited us yesterday right?”
Asura nodded. Aisha stumbled down, and Asura helped her stand up. He wiped the dirt off her face. “Yeah that’s-” Asura began to say, before Aisha cut him off. “I found these two while searching for survivors. I’ll need your help here. Both are nearly dead.” she said, scrambling to lay them on the ground. Asura shuddered at the word dead. “There should be a utility chamber not far from here. It has potions and herbs to help with their recovery.” she quickly said. Her voice told Asura that she was clearly worried.
“Alright let’s go.” He stated. To Aisha’s surprise, he picked up Vega and Scarlett and placed them on his shoulders. “Lead the way.” “Oh. Oh! Yeah!” exclaimed Aisha. She got up and raced towards the docks. Soon, they came upon an alleyway with nothing but a dead end. Aisha walked up to the end of the alleyway. She drew a small dagger from her waist and wedged it into the wall. Suddenly, it’s perimeter was cut open. Aisha pulled the door open. Asura gasped in amazement. Labeled potions and bags of herbs were neatly aligned on a shelf. Aisha scanned the labels and took a handful of potions. They had an arrangement of colors, being red, purple and blue. She then reached into the bag and pulled out an assortment of dried leaves. “Lay them down.” she said, before running off to grab a rock. Asura did as she said, laying down Vega and Scarlett side by side. She returned, and laid down her garments on the ground and placed the herbs on top. The rustling and crunching of dried leaves was music to their ears as Aisha grinded up the herbs. “Hey, get the potions ready. We’ll feed both of the medicines at the same time.”
Asura scrambled. He opened as many potions as he could, holding the vials careful so as not to drop them. Aisha forced Vega’s mouth open. She motioned for him to hold a potion to his mouth. “Alright. On the count of three, dump the potion in his mouth. Fast. Ready?” Asura nodded. His hands were sweaty, but the thought of his friends recovering tightened his grip. “Three, two, one, go!”
The purple liquid flowed down Vega’s throat alongside a pile of crushed leaves. The two of them repeated the process for Scarlett. Aisha then kneeled down to the ground, and put her ear to Vega’s chest, then to Scarlett’s. She got up, and sighed in relief.
“Their wounds are still severe, but they’ll manage to live.” she said comfortably.
“Thank the Gods. I should thank you as well. My friends could’ve died if I hadn’t found you earlier.”
“These two are your friends?” she asked.
“Yes they are. Vega and Scarlett are their names. Boy’s a fire wizard, but the girl has no magic.”
“No magic you say? It’s a miracle she’s been able to survive in this world. This raid especially.” Aisha pondered and put her hand to her chin. She turned her head up to see Asura staring her down with animosity. “Ah! I didn’t mean to insult her like that!” she said, stumbling backwards. “It’s just that, it’s amazing really. I’m sure she’s a great fighter.” Aisha bowed apologetically.
Asura chuckled. “That’s quite alright. Sorry for staring you down like that.”
Both of them looked down at the two. “Should we take them to a good spot?”
“I think so. The rest of us are at the dock. I’m sure there’s a man there willing to see you.”
“The handsome one with the sparking lightning?” Mark didn’t respond. He picked up Vega and Scarlett, and set them on his shoulders, and began walking back to the docks. “Hey! Wait up!” shouted Aisha. The two walked in the golden rising sun.
“Hey Kaleigh is that the last of the bodies?” asked Joyce, dropping another corpse into the hole. “Yeah I think you just deposited the last one.” Kaleigh slapped his hands together rhythmically, ridding his palms of the sand and dirt. The two walked back to the ship where Jin gloomingly sat on the stairs leading up to the steer. To their right, they eyed two individuals carrying two people with familiar clothing. “Wait, is that?” said Kaleigh, pointing to the approach two. Joyce immediately ran up to them ignoring Kaleigh’s question. “Asura! And, the girl from the bar?” said Joyce. The loud protruding voice prompted Jin to look up. His eyes brightened and he dashed towards Asura. That matching trench coat, exactly like mine. That slim dress too… “VEGA! SCARLETT!” screamed Jin as he slid a couple of steps, stopping in front of Asura and Aisha. Asura naturally laid the two of them down for Jin to see. Jin and Joyce leaned in to observe. Jin could hear them breathing. Their skin was cracked and burnt. Smothered in dust. Scarlett’s pale white skin was hardly noticeable. Her shining bright red hair was darker.
“It’s a miracle that you found them,” said Joyce. She brushed her hand across Scarlett’s face, pushing her hair aside. “Hang in there sis.” she whispered. Suddenly, a tall figure stood over her. His shadow overcast her own. “She’s not even your actual sister dumbass.” chuckled the voice behind her. “JULIUS?” yelped Joyce. “YOU’RE AWAKE?”
“Julius! You still need to recover!” yelled Kaleigh from behind them. He came to the group out of breath. “I know you just woke up but-”
“I’ll be fine Kaleigh. You should rest too. Weren’t you stabbed earlier?” said Julius. Kaleigh showed his inner thigh, bandaged up. “Hey nice!” Julius exclaimed.
“Well, it seems like we’re all here,” said Jin. He looked at all of them. The eight of them had finally been reunited. Vega, Jin, Julius, Kaladin, Asura, Joyce, Kaleigh, Scarlett.
“I can’t believe we managed to survive those two nights of horror.” said Asura. “Yeah no kidding. We almost got completely shit on.” commented Julius. “Is Kaladin still asleep?”
Joyce slapped him in the face. “You idiot, how do you not know? We literally placed you sleeping beside him.” Julius chuckled and made a big smile. “Whoops. My bad.” The rest of them laughed along with him. “Well, since Scarlett and Vega are still unconscious, how about we take you guys back to the bar!” suggested Aisha. All eyes turned on her. She became flustered for a moment. Jin looked at her blankly. “Who’s she?”
“She’s my girl!” proclaimed Julius. He stepped beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, you’re shaking.” Aisha whispered in Julius’s ear. His face turned bright red. Kaleigh stepped in between the two “No she isn’t! Don’t believe this guy Jin!” “Looks like someone is jealous,” Joyce teased. “No! Let me explain! When we arrived here, we fought some pirates and then we were cornered. She saved us and led us to this hidden bar.” Kaleigh quickly explained. “Yeah. It’s a pretty neat system too that keeps some of the villagers safe.” added Asura. “With that being, said we should head over there right now!” proclaimed Aisha cheerily, and she marched onto the direction of the bar. The group trailed right behind her, carrying Scarlett and Vega on their backs. “I’ll catch up with you guys!” said Jin. The rest of them waved goodbye and continued walking.
Jin walked over to where he laid down Kaladin on the caravel. He stared at his friend. “I still haven’t thanked you since then, right?” He took a seat down beside him. “I’ll thank you when I’m the one to save your life next time.” Jin stared off into the sea. He could see the expanding clouds of the ocean that divided the regions of the War Seas. An orange glow pierced through the clouds, barely striking his face. “What a horrible sight,” he said. “I should be able to see the horizon.” Then, he propped Kaladin on his shoulder, and continued to walk in the direction the others had gone.
“Well we only came because of the flare Vega sent,” said Asura. “It was Apollo who originally noticed it too, but Lance asked him to stay back.”
“Then when we came, the entire village was already filled with pirates! People were tryin’ to escape n’ shit and so we helped a couple escape and also take out some pirates!”
“Wow. Sounds like a lot of trouble” said Aisha. “You arrived on the Oasis and already you’re fighting” she chuckled.
“Well, what did you do Aisha?” asked Joyce.
“Ahh you see,” she scratched the back of neck in embarrassment. “I was just taking a hot shower… I didn’t even know we were being raided until my brother burst into the shower telling me that my help was needed” she chuckled nervously. Everyone else stared at her dumbfounded. “What? A lady needs her time to herself! I’m sure Joyce can agree with me right?” she nudged the ice wizard gently. “Well, I don’t really know much about that. I just take most of my girly habits from Scarlett.” Aisha slouched down in defeat. Her hopes of a new female companion faded away. “Hey aren’t we almost here?” said Kaleigh.
“Now that you say that,” Aisha scanned her surroundings. She ran forward and turned the right corner. The corridor with a blank wall stood in front of here. “Guys! Over here!” she waved towards them. They ran in her direction. Julius looked back. He saw a silhouette drawing closer past the clouds of dust. “Hey guys hold up! Jin’s here!” Julius’s voice prompted Jin to run faster to catch up. “Thanks for waiting for me.” Asura held the door open as the two entered into the bar along with the others.
“Welcome!” A short young man greeted all of them as they entered the secret bar. It was filled to the brim with customers. All sorts of people gathered at tables, eating and drinking, playing cards. A small fight broke out in the corner of the bar. The young man led them all towards an empty table. He motioned for them to sit. “Uhh hey,” Kaleigh pointed at the table. “THERE’S NO CHAIRS!” he raised his voice. The rest of the bar didn’t seem to notice. Aisha facepalmed in embarrassment. She stomped her foot down. “Akshan!” she said with a slight accent. The man laughed, and he motioned for the group to follow him. He led them back into the bar and past a door. The rest of the customers stared at them, as Akshan led them through the door. “Hey, I think these guys are jealous or- WOAH!” said Julius, before he was sucked past the door. It swung back and forth several times, before the other customers averted their stare and went along with their business.
“What the?” said Julius, clutching the top of his head. “Did we just fall down stairs?” He turned around, and his jaw dropped. He found himself in a huge room. Contrary to the vast amount of wooden and sandstone buildings in the Oasis, this room was made out of brick. Hard, cold brick. Around a dozen people were already present. Equipped with armor, weapons, and wore magic robes and had all sorts of accessories on them. Julius saw his friends gathered just to his right. He jogged up to meet them all.
“I welcome you to the Underground Oasis!” said Akshan. He opened his arms wide out, showing the amount of distance the room span. Fighters all over drank and ate at tables. A large wooden bar was set alongside the back of the room. Stations were set up, holding mounds of food hiding behind covers. Well-dressed employees in brown suits operated the stations and the bars, and served the fighters It was a huge system of human cogs working together. The crowd helped themselves to how much they could eat. “This is what’s hidden behind these blank walls. The last leader of the Dune Raiders feared raids from pirates and other kingdoms, so this system was built as a hideout for them to ambush their opponents and also go into hiding. Since the Dune Raiders were disbanded, the local military force has used this as their own base.”
“So the raid just days ago, you guys experience that often?” asked Jin.
“Well yeah, but not as big as that. Usually it’s just some small groups of people, or soldiers from the kingdom. The Oasis isn’t aligned with any kingdom or nation, so there’s plenty of evildoers out there trying to take advantage of us.”
“What about the regular people then? You said it’s just the local military force that uses this.” Joyce spoke out.
“That’s why we have the regular bars. Like the one you walked into to get into this place.” explained Akshan. “These bars aren’t the only entrypoint to the Underground Oasis though.” He eyed Jin, Kaladin and Asura. Jin froze in place, wanting to speak out. Akshan’s words came first. “I’m sure you three have some idea of the Underground Oasis?” he asked.
“Yeah we do. During our fight with that marksman, the ground beneath us exploded and we fell down into this large empty room.” Asura suddenly remembered what happened, and fell into a state of depression. “Sorry about those guys. They fought valiantly.” Asura stated. Akshan just sighed and smiled. He patted Asura’s hung-low head. “Don’t worry, child. I’m sure those warriors indeed fought well. The fact that you three survived, is merely a sign. Be grateful of your own lives.” said Akshan.
The rest of the wizards are in awe, as if they just witnessed the birth of a baby. The innocence and presence of a new gift in the world filled their souls. Aisha grabbed her brother by the shoulder. “I’ll be serving some dishes now.” She turned to the wizards. “You guys can go help yourselves. We’ll have a room ready for you after you eat so you can all rest.”
“For the three unconscious, I can take them.” suggested Akshan. “Thank you. For all of this.”
Akshan nodded, and let his arms. Jin propped Kaladin in his arms. Asura came along with Vega and did the same.
“Hey… where are we? Did Vega win?” said a drowsy voice. Joyce looked beside her. Scarlett’s eyes were beginning to open up. “SCARLETT!!!” Joyce screamed. Everyone in the room stared at her. Joyce shook Scarlett wide awake. The young woman looked rather surprised. She stared around her, at the brightly lit sandstone walls and roof, and some unfamiliar people standing around her. However her eyes were searching for something else. Someone else. They finally found him. The dark red hair. “Is Vega okay?” Scarlett said weakly.
“Hey! Look at me sis!” Scarlett stared at Joyce. “Hey,” said Scarlett. “Your voice is slurring…” Joyce brushed her hand on Scarlett’s cheek. Tears began to flow out of their eyes. “I think I’ll be okay.” grinned Scarlett. Joyce smiled brightly back at her.
“Let’s not get distracted guys!” yelled Julius. “Hey bar man! Can we go eat?”
Akshan nodded agreeingly, and Julius dashed off to the nearby trays of food. Joyce was right behind him, dragging Scarlett along with her. The others followed suit, exploring different trays and congregating around the long wooden table that stood in the middle of the room.
Akshan smiled at the wizards, and carried the two injured boys away.
10 minutes later
“Okay, okay! I’ll explain it!” said Scarlett, with her cheeks stuffed with food. “Just, let me get another bite of this beef.” Everyone groaned in annoyance, and simultaneously they all took a bite of their dishes. Ranging from a saucy beef stew, golden fried tentacles and an assortment of decorated bread. The wizards were adoring their meals so far.
“Alright!” shouted Scarlett. Her energy now restored in her body. “Hurry it up! Let’s hear it.” demanded Julius. “She’ll be able to say it, if you can shut your damn mouth!” retorted Joyce. The two took their pieces of sauce-covered chicken, and shoved it in their mouths. Suddenly, both of them were plastered with water. They dried their faces to see Asura holding two empty wooden cups facing towards them. The two stopped their bickering and Scarlett cleared her throat. “Okay.” She let out a breath of anxiety. “So Jin, I’m sure you remember our plan right? You would go with Kaladin another direction, and you trusted me to head off on my own to find Vega after we managed to escape.”
“Mhm.” replied Jin with a mouthful of bread.
“So I ran in that direction, and obviously I found Vega. But he was in the clutches of the pirate leader we saw earlier.”
“The Quartermaster!” Jin exclaimed with a muffled mouth. Scarlett repeated his words with a clearer voice.
“Afterwards, we ended up in this huge duel. I managed to hold my own and take out his henchmen, but with every one I took out, the Quartermaster only seemed to grow stronger,”
“So then how did Vega end up looking like,” Asura paused and recollected his memories. “That.” Asura emphasized.
“I’ll be getting there! So eventually, I landed some good hits on the Quartermaster but he had this weird shield fighting style that was really hard to push through. It’s like he was just playing with me before his henchmen died. That’s when he got serious. I could hardly hold my own after that point.”
“Now Vega comes in right?” said Julius. Scarlett nodded and continued her story as the rest of them ate. Their eyes stared in anticipation and excitement. Scarlett seemed anxious, but her mother’s lessons taught her well. You are a guiding light for others. Clear your mind, and speak clearer. Her storytelling reminded her of the speeches she gave in front of the town.
“We continued to fight, and the Quartermaster leveled several buildings. I hadn’t landed a single hit since then, and I was just defending myself and Vega as well while he was still unconscious. The fight just continued as we passed street after street. It made me realize how huge the Oasis really was…”
“Yeah no kidding.” commented Asura.
“Then, it was just a large explosion. Exactly like on Numeral Peak. Vega had this menacing fiery aura surrounding him, and with such malcontent he summoned the magic circles on his gloves.” Scarlett motioned with her hands, looking down and trying her best to express the movements Vega made.
“So his magic energy must have been draining insanely fast then. By what you’re saying, he must have activated his mode spell.” said Kaleigh.
“Ohhhh,” murmured Joyce, worryingly. “The magic circles on his gloves already drain his magic energy enough right? I mean he is able to instantly cast spells but the increased magic energy use… I can’t even imagine…”
“I couldn’t imagine it either. He dueled with the Quartermaster for around 20 minutes, while I just watched.”
Suddenly all of them stopped eating. The mention of the number shocked them all. Jin, Asura and Julius put their utensils down. Joyce paused her next bite. Kaleigh swallowed down his latest chow. “You meant to say 20 seconds right?” Kaleigh asked. Scarlett remained silent.
“20 fucking minutes?” said Jin angrily. He stood up and pressed his palms to the table. “He held his mode, and the gloves for 20.” Julius tugged at Jin’s coat. “Hey man you gotta calm yourself.” Jin paid no attention, and shrugged Julius off. “And you just watched?” Jin continued. His voice was loud, and the other fighters digesting their meals turned towards all of them. Kaleigh turned around and caught their gaze, and hushed down their table.
“Yes. I watched. I was too weak. The Quartermaster did a number on him too. They were both evenly matched.” She faced Jin with a stern face. Scarlett bottled up her uselessness inside of her. I’ll cry about it later, she told herself. With a sigh and a gulp, Scarlett continued her tale. “Afterwards, he used two new spells to turn the tide of the fight. That mighty shield the stupid pirate swung around, was shattered to pieces. His body received the same fate.”
The table fell silent. Jin, seeming satisfied, sat back down. Jin was content with the results, but he knew that Vega must have either suffered, or grown during the encounter. His pre-existing knowledge of Vega’s mode, and the use of the gloves that he received from Lance, prompted him to think: I knew it. Why’d we ever bring her along anyways. She doesn’t even have a magic after all. Jin held his thoughts and took a bite of his bread. Vega could barely hold his mode for five minutes. His gloves he only held for ten. We all know this too!
Jin’s heart blanketed itself with hate to block out the envy. His question earlier, on whether Vega had grown or just stressed his body enough to surpass his limits.
The answer was both. And Jin had already known.