Chapter 11: Chapter 11 – Zoom Out

“And we are here,” Amani announces, twirling around to face us.

 

“Are you sure? It looks very much identical to literally everything else we’ve passed,” Ame questions.

 

“100%. This isn’t my first time leaving The Beyond thank you very much,” Amani rebuts, offended. 

 

“Well, where do we actually leave then? I don’t see a door or anything like that,” Aku comments. 

 

“Just wait, we’ll be gone any second now,” Amani assures. We all look around as Amani stands arrogantly, her chest puffed and confident. The white remains undisturbed, worry filling the air. Ame withdrawals her pistols and begins to shoot in the air randomly, hoping to hit anything. Before long, a shift in the ground throws us all off balance before completely giving out, sending us into another freefall. The white darkens into a moist gray, water droplets striking my skin like hail before giving way to the deep blue sky. The fracture splitting the night sky continues to branch, echoing a horrid crackling sound. The wind deafens me, my hair blowing above, racing to catch up with the rest of my body. The crack spans throughout every part of the sky, purple smoke leaking through, and for a moment, graces our eyes with a sight second to none. The moment feels like eternity, time slowing down as the sky shatters, sending pieces plummeting towards the soil. It gives way to a deep green, like algae was spread across space. The insanity of the current situation forces me back to my senses, my freefalling state crashing back into my mental. The wind prevented any movement of my head, forcing me to pray for a soft landing. My back plummets through leaves and small branches, slowing me down little by little, before plunging into water. A beast swims along the surface of the water, its size blocking any light from entering the water. A pair of baby blue eyes light the black water like stars, staring directly at me. I can feel tendrils wrapping around my body, squeezing my limited amount of oxygen out of my body. The tendrils raise me to the monster's face. The goliath has a crocodile head with serpent features, connected to a massive whale body, octopi like tentacles sprouting from its monkey arms. The beast looks as though mother nature was testing her creation abilities, making the most horrifying thing she could imagine. The creature pulls me close, examining my drowning body, before tossing me out of the water. A loud thud can be heard as I land, gasping for the precious oxygen I had been deprived from. It floods my lungs, remedying the pain in my chest slowly. Daedalus rubs his head against my cheek as I lay on my back, horrified by the demon in the water.

 

“That thing brought you out, huh,” I ask, petting Daedalus. The sound of leaves rustling snaps me back upright, water flying everywhere. A pair of wings spread out from behind a tree, the wood cracking. Daedalus and I both take off running, too scared to test our luck. A horrid screech can be heard from behind us as a swarm of man sized ravens chase after us, their mighty wings terraforming the forest with each flap. Trees are uprooted, insects are ejected from the ground, dirt and bushes consume the air as the terrifying birds relentlessly pursue us. If it weren’t for the trees they were destroying, Daedalus and I would surely have been caught on sight. With each member joining the chase, the birds get closer and closer to us, their saliva splashing onto my back. We cut left, sprinting for a small cave, before the ravens latch their talons to my back, hauling me into the air. A last stitch attempt to grab onto anything results in Daedalus being cradled into my arms, the sharp talons digging into my skin. The scent of rotting flesh and blood fills my nose as I’m lifted hundreds of feet into the air, the ravens tossing me around like a toy. With each catch, another laceration is ingrained into my skin, my body sustaining more damage now than any battle before. Daedalus is firmly pressed against my chest, no amount of cuts changing the grip on my korat. All my attention funnels into casting, forcing me to tell myself the pain is only in the moment. A massive volley of electric balls fly throughout the sky in all directions, striking the ravens out of the sky, forcing me to plummet from the sky once again. My fall is cushioned by a large forcefield encapsulating my body, safely placing me on the ground. Daedalus purrs softly as I lay still, in too much pain to even question how I’m even alive. Daedalus crawls out of my arms as I struggle to my feet, stumbling out of the forest. A wasteland awaits me, my blood painting the dirt as I limp throughout the landscape. An abandoned campfire blesses me with its presence, a symbol of rest I gladly embrace. I collapse onto one of the logs and deposit Daedalus back into my armament, wincing as I take my hoodie off. Just moving my arms sends waves of pain throughout my entire body, my back muscles wreathing and pulsating at the foreign exposure to the outside world. My skin is like wrapping paper, and the ravens were a child tearing through it to get to their birthday present, that being the ravens next meal. Footsteps can be heard from behind me as I whip my head back, preparing to run at any sign of danger.

 

“Hey there, you alright man?” An older woman calls out. 

 

“You look like you’re in pretty bad shape,” A younger woman adds.

 

“Yeah, just taking care of some flesh wounds,” I yell back, trying to dismiss them as quickly as possible.

 

“You sure? Those ‘flesh wounds’ look really deep. I mean, I can see some bones,” The younger woman responds. I reach back, tracing the rips in my body, truly beginning to comprehend how deep the cuts are.

 

“Ok, maybe a little deeper than flesh wounds,” I reply, laughing to myself. The women walk closer, examining the cuts.

 

“It looks like those damn ravens got you, huh,” The older woman says. “My name is Agatha, my granddaughter here is Griselda.”

 

“I’m Mofu,” I respond.

 

“Yeah, this is really bad. We live just a few yards north, we can help you out there,” Agatha informs.

 

“I don’t know how smart it would be just blindly going to two strangers’ home while hurt like this,” I say. “That sounds like a perfect way to get murdered.”

 

“Well, you either come with us and MAYBE die, or stay out here and guarantee your death,” Griselda laughs. “With open wounds this deep, you won’t last an hour.”

 

“Are you two just some farmers with a first aid kit or something?” I joke.

 

“I was King Philip’s doctor, and I’m in the middle of teaching my granddaughter healing magic,” Agatha informs.

 

“Fuck it, getting killed by two attractive women sounds better than being torn apart by whatever the fuck,” I joke. Griselda helps me to my feet and we all walk to the girl’s property, a large house with a smaller building to the side. We enter the smaller building, Griselda sitting me down as Agatha pulls out a big first aid kit.

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“So, dumb question, but where exactly are we?” I ask.

 

“Are you another dumb tourist?” Agatha asks me, soaking a rag in warm water. “This might hurt a bit.”

 

“I went hiking with some friends around north Sipha, but we got split up because of a storm, so I’m pretty lost,” I inform, wincing as Agatha cleans the blood off of my back.

 

“You’re at the westernmost part of Sipha. Here, you border No Man’s Land, which holds creatures like the ravens that tore through you,” Griselda explains.

 

“I’m about to start cleaning the wounds on your back, so brace yourself. This is going to hurt like hell,” Agatha warns. 

 

“You’re like, extremely lost if you came from north Sipha, must’ve been one hell of a storm,” Griselda says. It takes me a moment to respond, the burning sensation from the alcohol overpowering my brain. 

 

“Yeah, it was a snowstorm, so visibility was shit,” I respond, gritting my teeth. I can feel my back muscles flinching, fighting to hold back tears.

 

“All that’s left is some stitches,” Agatha informs.

 

“I thought you knew healing magic,” I respond.

 

“These are too deep for magic. Your arms and legs will probably be healed with magic, but your back is fucked,” Agatha states. We all sit in silence as Agatha sews my cuts shut before shifting her attention to my arms. She cleans the wounds and heals them with magic, leaving nothing more than scars. 

 

“I’d advise you to stay with us until your back is healed, but the choice is yours,” Agatha says.

 

“Why are you helping me?” I ask, putting my tattered shirt back on.

 

“You look like my grandson,” Agatha says. “Here, wear this, it was his.” She tosses a shirt at me.

 

“Wouldn’t he be upset at a stranger wearing his clothes,” I laugh.

 

“He died four years back, so I don’t think he really cares,” Griselda informs.

 

“You can stay in his room as well, or you can sleep on the couch if you feel weird about using his things,” Agatha offers.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss. I appreciate your generosity, but I really should go find my friends. I’m sure they’re all lost as well,” I say, standing up. I sharp pain spreads through my back, forcing me right back off my feet.

 

“Right, we’ll look for them starting the day after tomorrow, but for now, you need to let your back heal at least a little. Just get some rest for now,” Griselda says, giggling. I relent, laying onto the couch and slipping into the land of dreams.

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