The painted portrait that fell from the book, Elysia knew it was the master.
She called to the Sprite Siblings "Fig! Agua! Ember! Gale! Paku!" she rushed to the middle of the room and placed the book at the center of the old table.
She was certain that it was the master, because around him were five small orbs of light. "So this might be how you look like to others." Elysia showed them.
"It's the master!" the chorused even young Phine joined in to peek out of curiosity.
Elysia excitedly said, "This book is The Wayfarer's Compendium: A Guide to the Realms Beyond. It's a book about the Serendale Empire and the Regions." Elysia flipped through the pages.
"It's a map of realms, a list of local customs, creatures and beasts - even flora and foraging. Look here" Elysia pointed "There are circles in some cities on this map! It's a clue! Maybe we can find people who knew your master if we visit this place and we can ask around where he is."
The Sprite Siblings cheered.
Agua held Paku "Did you hear that Paku, we might be able to see Master again!"
"Master! Please wait for us we will come to find you!" Fig in tears with Gale.
Everyone was in a cheery mood but Ember had her fist clenched and with much passion, she said, "I'm going to find him! And burn him to a crisp!" Ember said with heartfelt enthusiasm.
"When are we leaving?" Paku asked.
Elysia looked at Phine who was also very cheerful not understanding what was happening around her. She was not aware that this hut would soon become an empty hut. Elysia held Sera in a small embrace holding back tears. The Sprite siblings empathetic to their master also embraced Pine. "Let's wait for Sera so we can say goodbye before we leave."
Elysia looked at the painted portrait in her hand and gasped as she noticed the painted figure's smile grow wider, his head tilting as though acknowledging her presence. With a startled cry, she let the portrait fall from her trembling fingers. "The portrait—it moved!" she exclaimed, taking a cautious step back.
"Of course it moves, it's a painted portrait," Agua replied casually, her tiny, glowing form darting closer to inspect it.
Elysia stared at the portrait on the ground, her heart racing. Her memory felt oddly fuzzy, like something wasn't quite right. "No... portraits don't move," she whispered, her voice shaking with uncertainty.
The ring painted on the figure's hand sparkled, catching the faint light in the room. She leaned closer, mesmerized, and before she could stop herself, she reached out. The painted ring shimmered, the picture then began to change, morphing into a solid, gleaming object in her palm.
"That looks like one of master's storage ring. It must've been an enchanted object, Master sometimes hides precious objects in plain sight. He often says robbers search intricate trunks but never things in plain sight." Fig observed.
"A storage ring?" Elysia asked.
"Put it on Elysia! It might show you something important! Like... maybe a clue about where the master is—n-not that I care or anything!" Ember stammered, flickering slightly in flustered annoyance.
When Elysia put the ring on, her eyes widened, and her expression flickered between wonder and confusion. She hesitated before speaking, as if grappling with a memory she couldn't fully place.
"This... feels familiar," she began, turning the ring on her finger. "It's like... opening a chest. There are a few things in here and a few empty boxes. This somehow reminds me of an inventory of a video game." Elysia starts to scan through the storage space that looked endless.
"What is a Video Game?" Gale asked.
Elysia looked at Gale. Her memories still fuzzy "I don't know."
"What's inside?" Paku also asked.
"I see some clothes, weapons, potions, a few scrolls that says teleportation."
"Is there a parchment or a letter?" Ember asked.
"I'm sorry Ember I don't think there is." Elysia said after scanning all through the inventory.
Agua held her sister, "Try taking out an Item Elysia let's see what master left?"
Elysia pulled out the first item on the inventory. It looked like a bag she opened it and looked inside. "It looks like coins" Elysia held out a sparkling gold coin.
"I remember Master enjoyed collecting those," Fig recalls in his memory.
"It doesn't look like much, but I'm sure it'll be helpful for our travels," Elysia said as she tipped the small bag upside down over the table.
To her utter shock, a torrent of gold coins came rushing out like a sparkling waterfall. The pile grew larger and larger until in toppled the table and filled the entire room.
"This must be one of Master's enchanted bags—just like the storage ring!" Fig chimed cheerily, fluttering around the growing heap.
Paku held on to three different sparkling coins "Ember what do you call these why do they have a different color than Elysia was holding?"
"This is a silver coin while this one is a copper coin" Ember explained.
"Look this sapphire is as blue as Agua's hair."
From somewhere beneath the mountain of coins, Elysia let out a muffled, exasperated sigh. "Please help me out."
The sun was setting as Elysia finally finished putting the coins back into the enchanted bag. Paku clung to a shiny coin, but after some coaxing and a small bribe, he reluctantly handed it over. She tested the storage ring by storing a few books, noticing how it seemed to expand with each item she added.
For some reason, there was a sense of relief seeing so much money - surely if they set-off to the cities and travel around they won't starve. She felt this sense of relief and she didn't have to worry about money and they could travel in comfort. They just had to wait for Sera to return.
***
Glancing toward the forest, Elysia frowned. Sera still hadn't returned. Just as she was about to shut the door, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes, stopping her in her tracks.
"Ember" She called out, and Ember was on her side lighting the forest trees with little balls of flame.
"Help! Help!" a little boy cried out. Elysia rushed toward him, but the sight that met her was almost too gruesome to bear. Sera leading a little boy towards the direction of the hut. He was smeared with blood and dirt. His hands trembled as he carried the limp form of another, whose body was riddled with gashes. Though some of the deepest wounds had begun to close, blood seeped from countless others, painting his torn clothes in crimson streaks. The boy who cried for help collapsed.
Sera then turned her back and ran back to the forest, "Wait come back!" Ember called out. But Elysia did not have time to run after Sera she had two little boys unconscious in front of her to worry about.
"Gale" She called out asking for assistance. Gale lifted the two young boys into the cottage. Elysia's mind was in a state of panic, franticly she tried to close the gushing wound on the lanky boy's body.
She called out "Agua" and Agua leaped into action placing water over the harsh wounds and cleansing off the dirt. Gale and Agua worked together and they somehow stopped the bleeding. The wounds closed off leaving a small wound. His flesh looked like it was skinned. The little boy winced in pain struggling to hold still.
"Fig" Elysia called, Fig placed some crushed plants on the wound and the little boy's face showed the pain was subsiding. His crunched-up face relaxed at the cooling sensation.
"Elysia this other child doesn't seem to have any wounds" Paku called out.
Elysia looked at the lanky boy who was now out of danger and moved her attention to the one who collapsed He was indeed unconscious despite his robust demeanor he looked dehydrated and clinging for his life.
"Ember, Paku" she called out and the two grabbed what Elysia had in mind. Paku sprinkled the Rock Salt while Elysia placed the dried sage and rosemary. Ember ignited the herbs and it emitted a strong scent - which jolted the sturdy boy awake.
"My brother! Sal?" was the first thing the boy said when he regained consciousness. Looking closely Elysia realized that the two boys did look quite similar. "He is fine, he is over there!"
Hal could not believe his eyes. His twin brother had deep cuts throughout his body and did his best to heal his body until he himself almost ran out of mana but he could only heal him to a certain extent. Now his wounds were all gone replaced by a flesh wound. His body was covered in green salve then he saw a phoenixfirefly hovering around his older brother. He swatted it away to make sure it would not burn his brother's leg.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Elysia called out.
He looked back and realized that he had not thanked their savior yet. This must be her house. But before he could say anything she tried to pick up the phoenixfirefly "No don't you'll burn your hand, that's a phoenixfirefly." he tried to say. But to his astonishment, the little phoenixfirefly landed on her hands. Her hands did not burn and the phoenixfirefly did not consume her flesh.
"No! It's not this is Fig - he was trying to put some salve on your brother's skin." She said gently chiding. He looked at the phoenixfirefly she was holding and upon closure inspection did not have eyes nor wings it was just ball of light. Then he heard an exciting bark coming from behind him.
It was a Lupinara cub, was it the one that led him here? He could vaguely remember the events from yesterday. But he was sure the one he followed towered over him. But this Lupinara seemed to be a smaller version of the one that rescued them.
"Hal? Is that you?" The lanky boy named Sal sat up the pain he experienced felt like it was just a bad dream. He had been unconscious this whole time and when he started to regain consciousness he was afraid that he was going to experience immense pain. But then he felt a cooling sensation all over his body. Now he looked at his body covered in green goop.
"Thank goodness you're awake!" An angelic voice called out, "Do you feel pain anywhere? Are you able to move? " the young girl asked.
Sal did a quick assessment on himself. Feeling if there are any aches or pain, "No I feel fine."
Hal goes over him assessing his twin's condition in disbelief, "You were in such a bad state yesterday, I'm glad you're alive." He begins to tear up and then moves to thank their savior "Thank you for saving my brother"
"You should thank Agua, Gale and Fig" she called out to the air and three little bulbs of light
"What are those?" Sal asked.
"They are my familiars, can you see there bodies and wings?" Elysia said trying to describe how she sees them.
"Body?" Hal looked at his brother
"Wings?" Sal looked back.
Elysia then realized "I guess you can't see them, maybe that's why you were swatting Fig away -"
Sal peered close to where Elysia was pointing "I thought they were phoenixfireflies earlier"
Elysia looked in the air as if she was receiving information from the small creature, "Ah these are not Phoenixfireflies they cannot burn you" Elysia held out her hand and gestured Sal to do the same.
"This is Agua, Gale, and Fig, they're the ones who helped heal you." Sal followed Elysia's gesture and felt the small weight come to his hand. "Agua is a water sprite, Gale is a wind sprite and this one is Fig - he is a plant sprite."
Two more specks of light floated near Elysia, "Oh that's right, and although she promises not to burn you this one is a Fire sprite. And this little guy is Paku. You were passed out when you got here and these two helped you recover." Elysia offered the two lights to Hal who in turn received a faint warm coursing through him.
The two boys looked at each other, then at the specks of lights on their hands and said "Thank you," they said and the little lights floated away.
Elysia looked at floating sprites as though they were talking to her and then she said "That's a good idea, I think they do look famished!" she spoke to the air.
Then turned to the two, "You two we're in such a state what happened? Where did you come from?"
Before the boys could respond to Elysia's question Phine started whining at the door and scratching it hard as though she wanted to go out. Elysia opened it, thinking perhaps Phine needed to go outside to her business.
"What's the matter Phine?" Elysia stood outside and Phine bolted out head out in the darkness. The forest sounded too quite and Elysia did not feel comfortable leaving Phine outside so she ran after him.
"Ember!" Elysia called out and Ember was on her side small fires lighting the way. She ran and ran as Ember's flame illuminated the way, her little legs could not reach Phine and she was starting to lose sight of her.
"Gale" she called and her feet floated in the air her body thrust forward and the gush of the air beneath her feet made her fly. She positioned her body forward, visualizing on catching to the three tails in front of her.
"Wait come back!" Sal called to her. Hal and Sal despite their injuries were right behind her. The Sprite siblings floated close to Elysia.
The forest was filled with loud clicking noises, as if long elongated claws we're tapping against. Sounds of hissing snakes surrounded. It suddenly quieted down.
"Phine! Come here!" Elysia called out to Phine. Phine was looking towards the darkness, her small form hunched slightly, her body poised in a posture that suggested she was about to spring into action.
"Be quite!" Sal held her back, "Those flames is there anyway you can make them bigger? "
"Ember!" Elysia called out, and the small flames erupted into larger bursts, illuminating the darkness around them.
As the light flickered, Elysia saw a nightmarish creature she'd never seen before —their pale, molted skin almost blending with the night, but its glowing red eyes gleaming like coals in the dark. The creature's jagged teeth were bared in a silent snarl, its wiry limbs twitching with an unsettling readiness.
"It's the Skrethlings, stand back!" Sal called out. There were three before them. He readied his sword but realized his side was empty.
"My sword!" Sal looked at his brother.
"You must've dropped it when we were running away earlier!" Hal answered him.
But their voices were drowned out, Elysia's eyes were fixed on Phine who assumed an attacking stance against that gruesome creature. The Skrethling was about to pounce on Phine when a white-yellow figure came out of nowhere.
"Sera!" Elysia stepped forward seeing Sera bit the creatures jugular. With a powerful jerk, Sera brought the Skrethling down, but before she could finish it off, two more Skrethlings appeared from the shadows, circling her.
She released her hold, keeping one pinned beneath her paws while she bared her fangs, ready for the next strike. A blinding light emanated from her body, radiating like a burst of pure energy, and the two surrounding Skrethlings yelped in pain, stumbling back, their red eyes squinting against the sudden brightness. The Skrethling beneath Sera hissed in agony, its claws scratching helplessly against the dirt as it struggled to break free from Sera's paws.
"Is it sensitive to light?" Elysia asked.
"To Light! We have to immobilize it somehow" Hal responded.
"I managed to slice its claws earlier I can do it again" Sal now holding onto a stick as if he were carrying a sword.
Hal was dumbfounded by his brother's stupidity and held him back letting Elysia go, "Earlier it was a smaller one and you had a sword!"
Just then, Phine made a growling sound which caught the attention of one Skrethling. It changed its target and slithered towards Phine thinking Phine was an easier target. It hit Phine and Phine went down with a painful whine.
This moment distracted Sera, the light emitting from her body faded which gave an opening to the Skrethling to attack her. They both tumbled to the ground.
"Fig!" Elysia called out, her voice firm as she extended her hand toward the ground. In response, the earth trembled, and thick, gnarled roots burst from the ground, coiling around the three Skrethling with unnatural speed, restraining its movements.
The creature let out a shrill screech, thrashing against the roots, but they tightened, holding it in place with a vice-like grip.
"Paku!" the earth beneath Hal and Sal's feet rose up like a wave, lifting them high into the air, out of the reach of the surrounding Skrethlings. They gasped in shock as they found themselves suspended, the ground beneath them forming a stable platform that shielded them from the danger below.
Sera now free from the clawing of the Skrethling emitted light from her body the Skrethling wriggled in pain letting go a deafening sound.
Then Elysia turned to the one that attacked Phine and with fury in her voice she called
"Ember!" The red flames turned into intense blue and it swelled into larger, more intense bursts, engulfing the restrained Skrethlings in a blaze. The creature's screech turned into a frantic, crackling cry as the fire consumed it, the darkened air filling with the scent of burning flesh. The flames danced wildly around the captured Skrethling, reducing it to a writhing silhouette, helpless against the scorching heat.
"Brother! She's such a strong mage, do you think she's an adventurer?" Sal exclaimed, astonished by the sight before him.
"I think she's more than just an adventurer," Hal replied, his eyes wide with disbelief. "She must be an S-Class Mage! Look at her—single-handedly subduing a Skrethling, the very same kind we barely escaped with our lives from."
Soon, the earth beneath Sal and Hal's feet began to lower, gently returning them to the ground. Elysia stood tall, her five familiars surrounding her in a protective formation, the two Lupinara dragging a subdued Skrethling to her feet as if offering it to her. In the eyes of Hal and Sal, she looked nothing short of legendary—her face intense, her presence commanding. She resembled the S-Class adventurer of old legends. Standing tall against the darkness with nothing but her power and resolve.
But then, to Hal and Sal's surprise, Elysia's face crumpled and tears started to spill from her eyes in a sudden, dramatic flood.
"What the heck are they doing!" Elysia retreated behind Hal and Sal because Sera and Phine each tried to drag the scorched Skrethling.
"I think they're offering their hunt to you," Sal observed.
"Tell them I don't want it!" Elysia retreats farther as Sera successfully removed one from Fig's gnarled capsule.
"I don't really know how to," Hal said, unsure what to do.
"You probably shouldn't shout there could be more them lurking in the darkness." Sal warned.
"More?" Elysia's color turned pale "Then what the heck are we doing here!? We should get out of here!" She held the two boys on both arms and called out, "Gale!".
They zoomed there way back to the hut. In haste, they zoomed past trees not not mindful of Hal who did not know control their bodies in mid-air and started to spin and hit random branches.
Amid the chaos the one other Skerthling was still alive, burnt from Ember's blue flames it slithered into the river.
*****
"I'm sorry about the whole commotion," Elysia said to the twins who had twigs and leaves stuck out their hair.
"It's alright! We've had worst when were training with our uncle." Sal said trying to get twigs out of his brother's hair.
"By the way, are you not letting the two inside?" Sal asked, listening to the howling Lupinara outside the door.
"What if they drag that dead thing inside?" Elysia replied.
"Well, if they keep howling, they might attract more of them - the ones that are still alive" Hal reasoned.
"It's alright, we can just extract the magic core, and their bodies disintegrate," Sal said, attempting to open the door.
"Do you know how?" Elysia asked.
"Yes, I've trained in monster subjugation," Sal answered confidently.
"Alright, go get 'em! Good luck!" Elysia grinned, giving him a gentle shove outside, then immediately closing the doo.
Sal feeling exposed being shoved so suddenly felt exposed. He stepped out and faced the two Lupinara. Phine, who had met him earlier, ran over and sniffed him. Sera, however, eyed him with disdain. He glanced at the fallen dungeon monsters, still petrified from the light and blue flames.
"I'll need a dagger..." he called out, and Elysia promptly dropped one into his hand.
"What kind of dagger is this?" He asked looking at the blade forged from blackened steel, its edge glimmering with a faint violet hue. Intricate runes etch the hilt, pulsing dimly in the dark, granting its wielder swifter strikes but only a fleeting taste of true power.
"It was the first thing I could find!" Elysia explained from behind the door.
"This has got to be B-Ranked dagger!" Sal said looking back at the Hut. He cautiously approached the petrified creatures.
Sera bared her canines and kept her paw on the Skrethlings. She was indicating that this was her prey.
"I think you just need to accept it from them first; she won't let me take it," Sal muttered, calling back to Elysia for help.
Elysia stepped out, her hands over her eyes. "Sera, thank you for giving this to me, but can you let him take care of it?" she said soothingly. Sera seemed to understand, releasing her grip on the Skrethlings and nuzzling Elysia's hand in acknowledgment.
Sal, surprised by how tame the Lupinara was with Elysia, moved closer to the bodies.
"It's simple, you just need to cut this part off," Sal said, pointing to the glowing magic core as he carefully dug it out with the dagger. Green blood seeped out as he worked from the charred outer layer. "See? Since this was your take down, you can keep it," he said with a grin, handing her the glowing stone, still covered in chunks blood and flesh.
Elysia recoiled slightly, then quickly retreated behind cover, making gagging and hurling sounds out of sight.