Converging Destinies: Part 2

Chapter 252

       With the help of Roya's magic, the group effortlessly navigated through the enclosed armory. It was a labyrinth of barren, stone hallways, with offshoot rooms too dark to see into. It had a strange, eerie feel to it.

       But, eventually, Roya stopped and pointed forward. Before the group was an archway made of dark, gray stone.

       "It's through there." Roya said.

       "Wait, let me do one thing first." Brie said. She carved a glyph into the air, which was graceful and simple. Then, her eyes glowed for a brief moment.

       "There's something protecting the entrance, something magical." Brie said.

       "Okay, I'll take care of it." Cedric said. He held his hand out in front of him, and a flash of emerald green light pulsed through his arm. Brie nodded.

       "It's gone." Brie said. The whole group rushed through and into the room beyond.

       The room was vast, and too dark for Ara' Sei's tiny globules to illuminate.

       "I'm going to need some help." Ara' Sei said, dismissing the globules. Instead, her necklace glowed with brighter, more pale light. Zerai's sword formed in his hand, and glowed with golden light, further illuminating the massive room.

       The massive room was lined with small, stone shelves. Every single shelf was loaded with strange weapons, trinkets, and wands.

       "Yes, this is it." Ara' Sei said.

       Roya immediately walked over to one of the shelves, and they took a small ring of the shelf.

       "Here's one of those rings, let's try to find more." Roya said. The group scoured the room, looking for similar rings. Thankfully, they weren't too hard to find.

       Brie looked through the shelves at an incredible pace, and her eyes lit up when she took a vase off the shelf.

       "No way." She said.

       "What is it?" Ella asked.

       "You know that super expensive ink I always need for spells?" Brie asked. Ella nodded. Brie pointed at the vase.

       "This stuff is filled with it. And tons of it too!" Brie said.

       "That's great news!" Ella said.

       Cedric's elven ears stood up, and he glanced around frantically.

       "Umm, guys, I hear footsteps." He said. Everyone looked around frantically.

       "Okay. Just grab whatever else you can, then we're getting out of here." Ara' Sei said. Everyone kept searching ever more frantically through the shelves. Eris found a dagger even more finely crafted than their own. Ara' Sei found a golden amulet shimmering with power.

       But then, a figure ran through the archway, their hand magically illuminated with light.

       "What's going on he-oh..." He started, realizing that nine people were in there. Roya held their hand out, and their eyes flashed with sunlight. The man froze in place.

       "Eris?" Roya asked.

       "On it." They replied, moving towards the man with incredible speed. Then, they rammed their pommel into the side of the man's head, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

       "Okay everyone, let's get out of here." Eris said, leading the way out. Everyone else shoved their magical items out into their packs, and wherever else the magic items would fit. Then, everyone ran after Eris.

       "Which way are we supposed to go?!" Ara' Sei asked.

       "Out!" Eris replied. Frantically glancing down uniform hallways.

       "Wherever that is." They whispered to themself.

       Everyone glanced around the hallways, Brie closed her eyes and muttered to herself.

       "If I'm recalling correctly... it was this way." Brie said, pointing down one of the hallways. The group decided to follow her, not having any better options. The minute the group spent sprinting through the halls felt like an eternity, but eventually they came to a door.

       The group could hear distant shouts from somewhere behind them as they all ran single file through the door and out into the alleyway. Then, all of them took off running.

       Ella and Roya's armor clattered loudly as the group ran through the mud. Shouts were heard from behind them, and glancing behind them the group could see a group of people running after them.

       "How are we gonna get out of here?!" Aiyoshar asked.

       "Once we get out of the city, I can transport us somewhere else!" Cedric answered.

       "Like where?" Aiyoshar asked.

       "Cresselbrooke!" Cedric replied.

       Cedric knew how to navigate the city well, and soon the gate was in sight, but there were lines cutting across it.

       "It's lowered." He whispered. He drew the golden wand from a pocket and pointed at the gate. A red bead of light flew at the gate and detonated in a massive explosion. The gate of the city was blown to pieces, and the group ran through it.

       "To the trees!" Cedric shouted pointing ahead of him.

       The moment he got to the tree, he placed his hand upon it and frantically muttered the incantation. An emerald door flashed into existence and opened. The group ran through, and collapsed into the forest floor of the warm grove on the other side.

       In Cresselbrooke, first light had touched the sky with light, leaving it a dark blue color.

       But Cedric's eyes lay on the horizon.

       "Oh no." He said.

       Everyone else followed his eyes to the horde of dark shapes upon the horizon.