Blog Post

The Adventure Shop: Part 5

7/16/2021

“Andromeda’s comet! We got here too late.” Borg yelled in fury.

The front of the shop was ash with a few fires still burning. The back still continued with more of a vengeance as it devoured what the spells could not protect.

Noticing the amount of people standing around doing nothing, Borg began to give orders. 

“You three, look and see what can be salvaged. You ten, go and fight the fire. You two go and get a healer. Anyone you can find. And I will look for Dahlia.” Borg said looking into the fire.

“Borg!” Aster called coming alongside him out of breath. He bent over wheezing with his long white beard almost touching the ground, “You were so fast. I heard the news that Dahlia might be in danger. Where is she?”

Aster noticed Borg move to point to the Adventure Shop as he said, “I don’t know, but hopefully she is safe.” He continued moving to the fire with one mission in mind: Saving Dahlia.

Aster looked up and turned as white as the ash flying around the store. Without another word he ran to the shop, past the mostly standing shelves and through to the blaze.

He was stopped short by a giant arm wrapping around him, “Don’t be an idiot. Without protection from the smoke and the flames you would be dead  in a moment.” 

“Let me go! I have to find her!” he said, no longer with a white bearded form. Only twice had he lost his well kept transformation and both times it was because of her.

“Stay here. I will go.” Borg stated firmly.

“How?”

“I’m invincible for starters. A curse I picked up recently, so far it has not been bad. I will be back with Dahlia.”

Borg walked into the flames and began searching the back for any signs of her. 

As he went through the back he fell through the floor. He looked up to see where the floor boards might have broken to try to get back up, but he saw instead a ladder and a perfect entryway.

It seemed like a cellar, cool compared to the blaze. He couldn’t see around the pitch black room, but the walls and the floors hoping Dahlia might be there. 

He found nothing until he bumped into a stand with a small empty chest. He walked to the orange light and made his way upstairs. Borg walked to the second floor hoping the staircase would be there once he returned. He stepped on one board as he questioned the floor’s stability, but thinking of Dahlia he continued on. 

One step by one step.

Moving slowly he continued testing the ground and adjusting his course when pieces of the floor fell through. 

A few books, blanket, and one couch remained slightly immune to all the fire had to offer. 

As he made his way to Dahlia’s room he breathed a sigh of relief when he did not find her. 

A terrifying thought occurred, ‘Was she taken by that woman?’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aster knew he could not go through the flames the same way Borg had, but when through was not an option going around always was.

Aster ran toward the back of the shop noticing she wasn’t at the Kelm or the surrounding area. 

He ran through the clearest route of the woods and could not find her.

Dahlia was lost, if not taken, unless Borg found her.

Borg burst through a wall like a flaming giant that would come from any nightmare as the wall behind him tumbled to the ground.

He walked to Aster with his beard still on fire, “Did you find her?”

Aster’s face fell, “I couldn’t find her anywhere. She’s gone.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Down the road many townsfolk stared at the oddity of the situation gliding down the main street.

The gelatinous cube glided through the town with a purpose that only it knew. Though a few people wondered why a woman floated in the gel and what seemed to be a broken piece of a larger stone beside her.

What could be done other than watch it?

A woman stood in its path, “It’s about time. Come on.” She said walking off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Borg and Aster walked around taking inventory of all that was left. The shelf of books and scrolls withstood, only having various scorch marks.

The walls were destroyed which meant the essentials were as well. 

The whatchamacallits lay scattered, gels of various colors lay in a pool on the floor. 

Cubes that would never be. 

A few tools, more books, a couch, blankets, a few weapons, and the kelm remained. All else was gone. Destroyed in the fire.

And Dahlia was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Come on, spit her out.” The woman demanded.

The cube let the girl fall out and the small pebble.

The woman levitated her to a table and examined Dahlia.

Dahlia’s heartbeat was soft, her breathing labored, but something to be worked with.

The woman walked around, checking all parts of her for burns when she felt something under her foot.

She stooped down and retrieved a small pebble.

As it came close to Dahlia the girl’s breath normalized and her heart continued to grow stronger. 

“Oh my poor child. What have they done to you?” The woman asked, laying the stone on Dahlia’s neck.

The woman went to a corner, once there she placed herbs and garlic in a bowl. She cut plants from her aloe vera plant placing it in the mortar. Using the pestle she crushed the herbs and aloe vera into a paste. Grabbing bandages she moved to Dahlia, placing the paste, or now could be said to be a salve, and covering them in bandages. The salve was to promote cooling the wounds and preventing infection.

Dahlia began stirring as the stone did its work revving her. She coughed and tried to sit up.

“Easy love, stay still.” The woman ordered.

Dahlia turned her head and looked at the woman, “Hazel?” She looked around, “Where am I?”

“At a place I stay when I’m in town. Borg sent word you were in trouble, I decided my skills would be useful preparing for any ill fortunes. You were fortunate I stayed. Your friend was looking for help, I was about to make my way to your shop when I saw it.” 

“What friend?” Dahlia looked around as much as she could and saw the green cube in the corner. She smiled, “He likes my brew. Do you have any saved?”

“No, but I have ale. It should do, but that is not a healthy diet for a gelatinous cube.”

“What is?” 

“Metal, paper, water, wood, plants, rocks. Anything organic that can be consumed and distributed through it. Ale is easy enough, but it offers nothing.”

“My brew is not nothing. It is special.”

“And yet you share the recipe with no one?” 

“What else will keep you lot coming back? Not my pretty face for sure.” 

“I know for a fact that one of us lot that is not true. He prefers your pretty face.” Hazel smirked slyly. 

“Who?”

“Oblivious girl,” She huffed under her breath, “Well if you don’t know then I’m not telling you.” 

Hazel picked up the pebble showing it to Dahlia, as Dahlia found it more difficult to breathe.

“Explain.” Hazel said, placing it back.

“Hazel, I”

“No excuses. I’ve seen magic like this before. It is dangerous and stupid. The person who created it should be cursed as they cursed the people who bear the consequences.”

“It saved my life.”

“You are cursed and almost died. If you did not have that pebble this visit would be very different. Tell me your story.”

Dahlia huffed, “It isn’t so much of a story. I was born with a body that could not sustain my magic. My parents chose to tie it to a moonstone. My life was tied as well.”

“That is not the full story.”

“What more do you need?”

“Dahlia, with all my travels and knowledge do you think I am naive? Our enemies from the east had a sick princess. She and her family disappeared after an uprising. The strange thing is the legends that surround the princess. She was connected to a moonstone because her magic was far too powerful to be lost if she were to die from her illness. It was believed the one who set the child’s fate tried to take the stone. There is also hearsay from servants that say the girl was never truly sick and she was connected to the stone for the purpose of her magic being stolen.”

“I was not aware of those rumors.”

“But you know the legend well, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And why is that?”

“I was the princess. Those in rule expelled my family. When I was old enough I left my family to protect them from others trying to find me. I hid across the borders. And after I worked hard until I had enough saved to open my shop with the help of my magic.” 

A knock on Hazel’s door made both pause, and Hazel opened the door to see Borg and Aster.

Behind them a full cart of what could be salvaged from the shop. 

Both men’s eyes were red and puffy. From the smoke or crying, no one was certain and only they knew.

“She is gone, Hazel. We couldn’t find her. This is all that was left.” Borg said as Aster looked completely distraught.

Hazel smirked and took a step to the left.