Over the Void

Chapter 7: Three's a Crowd

Esther and Royal both were spared bad dreams through the long night. But the real scare was waiting for them in the morning. Royal slowly blinked his eyes open and started to sit up, when he was startled by Eldrie hovering 5 feet away.

"Eldrie, what the hell?" He said, louder than he meant. Esther stirred and started moving from the disturbance.

"It's not polite to wake someone who is sleeping. So I waited here instead." Eldrie replied curtly.

"It's weird to watch someone sleep like that!" Royal protested. "Did you even sleep yourself?"

"Of course I did. To not rest is foolhardy." Eldrie crossed her arms, waiting for Royal to calm down and get a move on.

"Yeah, but..." Royal didn't know what to say. He was so interrupted anyways by Esther yawning.

"Royal, who's there?" Esther looked around blearily.

"Come on now, stop procreating and get your things. We have a task to do." Eldrie said dismissively, turning to go. She flew quietly out to leave Royal and Esther to their business.

Royal swore his heart was going to explode. He had never been even half that embarrassed before. What made it worse was that Esther started asking him what Eldrie meant.

"She implied something improper, that's all!" Royal quickly answered, red in the face. He grabbed his gear with high speed to pop out and take a quick breather.

Standing outside while Esther got ready, which somehow took long despite her having nothing to put on or anything, Royal sighed. Eldrie was a force of nature too much for most people to handle. He couldn't help but wonder where she came from to think that saying things like hat so casually was normal. If anything, it was the time that made it that bad.

His thinking was cut off by Esther tapping his shoulder. "I'm ready, let's go help Eldrie now..." She said, with a notable lack of confidence.

They didn't have to look far to find Eldrie, who was overhead. "Good. Now let us make haste." She flew off. Royal and Esther did their best to keep up, not that they had much success. Eldrie was always far from view. Nonetheless, they rendezvoused near where Eldrie wanted to go. She found them huddled by some bushes, talking strategy.

"So. Past these bushes is the Golden Lotus lake, and the forces of the void that taint it. Do what you must to exterminate them." Eldrie said.

"We had to fight these creatures once before. They're weak from behind. Do you think you could keep them facing away from us?" Esther asked tentatively.

Eldrie mulled that over. "Very well. Do me a favor and don't die." She flew off. A few moments later, a loud cacophony of noises was heard from the opposite side of the lake. The monsters stared at the source, not yet moving.

Esther took her chance, and targeted the closest one with her focused light beam. While it left a definite mark, it didn't go through, and the monster turned around. However, Royal had flanked it, and struck from behind, aiming for the mark. His blade found purchase, and he started impaling the monster when he was bodily thrown away from the lake, and left to roll through the brush, battered and bruised.

Eldrie flew back quickly. "What did I just say." She groaned, before her hands emmitted a gentle green glow. Royal felt the wounds abating, and stood back up.

"That's a handy trick. Thanks." He said, before facing the monster that was now marching towards Esther. Her attacks were useless from the front. Fireballs and Shadow Bolts bounced off wildly.

Royal crept up behind the monster and stabbed it again, getting it to turn around. "Hey, stop going after them. I'm the one you want!" He provoked, faking every ounce of his bravado. But it worked, and he raised his sheild to block a hit that otherwise would have buckled his ribs inwards. As is, he was tossed back. But while the monster was thrashing Royal, Eldrie was healing Jim from the shadows, and Esther had started another Focused Light Beam, which was causing havoc in terms of wounding the monster.