That's So Wizard

Chapter 61 - Dawn of the First Day

The land around them was barren—lifeless. They hardly even heard a bird chirping in the sky, or saw a scorpion scurry between the rocks and shrubs. Eldrian wondered if it had anything to do with the event that would take place in only a couple days. They had the information they needed, so they ignored the eerie feeling, and both Arlandria and Eldrian continued through the desert with papers in-hand in order to discern the location of the Ley Point.

A crisp, burning heat came down from the sun directly over their heads. At night, a desert was cold, but in the day, it was like standing by a roaring flame. They fortunately dressed for the occasion—garbed in shorts and loose shirts, though it only somewhat helped. Sweat dripped down from their foreheads.

"Do you think Tyreth has already been here?" Arlandria asked.

"I do. I also think it won't be only us on the final day."

"This is starting to sound incredibly dangerous."

"We don't have much of a choice," Eldrian stated. "Unless we want to risk perishing under Tyreth's iron fist. And who knows who else wants the power? Some might want to stop him too, but we can't really take that risk. So what do the notes say?"

"We're close," she whispered as she looked about—to the papers and then to the landscape. "Oh my goodness. Is that what I think it is?"

They hurried over to where Arlandria gestured, only to be met with absolute horror. In the otherwise empty desert, there were two figures after all, far from prying eyes. It was a man and a woman laying lifeless in the dirt. They both noticed the precise stab through their torsos, like they were sticks of butter that met battle with a warm knife.

Arlandria covered her mouth and averted her gaze, while Eldrian stared down between his feet. He shook his head. Under the heat, the smell wasn't pleasant, but it was obvious that it was recent by the fact that they didn't notice earlier.

"That monster," Arlandria muttered.

They both turned away, and had a brief moment of silence.

"He probably couldn't help himself," Eldrian grumbled. "There was no need for an ordinary couple to die. He could have told them to leave, or just ignored them, but he didn't. It was probably like stepping on ants to him."

"I promise I don't think that way."

"I know, Arly. Don't worry. And I don't think other elves are either. But we need to suck it up for now, and look for that Ley Point. I bet Tyreth already found it. I know it's horrible. I just need you to focus on those papers."

She cringed yet nodded as she knew how important this was. It was actually not much farther before the calculations led her between two stones. She peered between them, and didn't speak for a lengthy moment, and Eldrian eventually spoke up out of curiosity.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Those rocks were moved. It's hard to tell, but I'm pretty certain. And the point is directly between them. This is Tyreth's doing for sure. I bet he marked this so he could find it in a flash when the time came."

Eldrian pondered. Then, his hands raise up into the air, though that wasn't all that moved. Dirt, rocks, and even the two bodies, floated up from the ground as his magical landscaping began. When he was done, he wished for nothing to look the same as it did before, especially the marked spot.

"Is this really going to fool Tyreth?" Arlandria asked as she watched.

"I have a plan. It's a long shot, but it's all I have."

***

"It's good to be back," Kevin said with a smile.

He, Daveon, Renatta, and Deena stood in a circle within the witch's abode. More specifically, they were in her training room, which was an expansive, illuminated cavern adjacent to her mysterious underground dungeon-like home. Kevin had called them here not long after his return. It was getting late, but it seemed like none of them were hesitant to heed his call.

"So why'd you bring everyone to my house?" Deena asked and crossed her arms.

"I wanted to show you all something I found," Kevin boasted as he held up his arm, which sported the brand new red and gold bracelet. "This belonged to my grandfather."

"That's it?"

"Well, uh—" He stared at Deena's piercing glare and hesitated. "No. It's something more than this. Here, Deena. Can you help me? I want you to shoot a spell at me. I'm not even going to break it either."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Renatta asked.

Daveon took a step back with the red-haired girl following beside him. "I'm with her. Deena might kill you."

"You shouldn't all act so serious," Kevin muttered.

The witch walked into position. They weren't sure if she did so, excited to attack him, or just because she was being helpful, and maybe it was better not to ask. She held up her hand like a dragon's claw and waited.

"I wish Eldrian and Arlandria could be here to see this, but here we go... Now, let's try this out. I've only done this once so far," Kevin said as he held up his arm. "Summon shield, Hottah!"

The bracelet quickly began to transform in a burst of light, similar to his sword, Drodias, and his recently destroyed shield, Aegis of Light. This was something else. It just seemed right. None of them could explain it, especially not Kevin himself, but even he felt it as the power wrapped itself around his forearm. Bands of gold bound themselves tightly, and soon a glorious heater shield of red and gold manifested itself—image of a moose directly in the center.

Kevin stood like a knight ready for war. He stared back at Deena, and for a moment, he might have actually matched her intimidating visage.

She created a sphere of pulsing black power above her, and then lowered her arms as it stood there floating. It wasn't long before she lunged one hand forwards and pointed a finger directly towards him. Terror Beam!

It fired a laser of swirling dark power towards the power, but he raised up his shield, and the impact against the metal caused a shockwave that washed over the audience. He didn't budge to the strike. When he stopped, he lowered his shield once more, and looked over his brand new toy with a child-like excitement.

Renatta hustled up to him and gave him a embarrassingly sudden embrace. "That was really neat! Where did you say you got that again?"

"Uh. It was my grandfather's," Kevin said as he was smooshed. "My parents had no idea what it really was. So it's true then. I heard that spellbreakers sometimes gain their abilities from previous generations, even if it skips some. If my grandfather was a spellbreaker with a specific animal crest just like Asta, I wonder what he did with it."

"I'd just like to know where Eldrian went off to," Deena muttered.

Renatta gasped. "Maybe he and Arlandria eloped!"

"No. That didn't happen. He's going to end up falling back through his mahogany door, half dead, and if Arlandria is dead, nobody's going to be able to heal him up."

"Well, if Arlandria is with him, maybe she'll keep him in check," Kevin said.

"I don't trust her to do that," replied Deena.

"Oh. Speak of the devil. Eldrian just texted me. He wants to talk to all of us tomorrow," Kevin spoke up as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Apparently it's important."

For the time being, the group went back to their corresponding homes. Deena, the place she already was. Kevin, the apartment he shared with Eldrian. Daveon and Renatta? Nobody really knew, but Kevin just assumed he slept in the woods, and Renatta stayed in a hotel or something. They seemed happy enough, so whatever they were doing was presumably working for them.

They went to sleep, not knowing the dangers that were quickly approaching. It was the end of the first day. There were only two more days until the Ley Point appeared.

Stay tuned for Chapter Sixty-Two - Dawn of the Second Day!