If You Trust Me - An Onward Fan-Novel

◊ Chapter 16 ◊

Previously on Onward...

With Ms. Traven out of breath, Kagar joins Sadalia and Althea in helping save Ian from the magical impostor. Meanwhile, Ian duels with Gedeon in an effort to reclaim the S.S. Medallion back from the wicked wizard. But as his foe displays a great deal of magical expertise—both from his staff and the power of shapeshifting—Ian begins to feel outmatched.

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◊ Hard Truths ◊

Ian was thrown down hard from the force of the minotaur's punch. The rogue wizard had gotten him in the shoulder!

"Wow...some protection you had there!" Gedeon jeered sarcastically as he walked up to the beaten young wizard. "But it seems it wasn't enough to defend yourself...against ME!"

Ian grimaced in pain. His shoulder didn't feel broken, but he did feel like it was pulled to an extreme. But that's when he realized—his Armor Spell didn't work! It was supposed to protect him enough so that the minotaur couldn't get to him! But it turned out he wasn't being protected at all! Had he been, then his left shoulder wouldn't be throbbing right now. So in hindsight, the armor really was invisible—much to the young elf's loss.

He slowly sat himself up, then tried to comfort his left shoulder by rubbing it with his opposite hand. Ian really wasn't sure how much more of this duel he could take. But the young wizard just knew that he had to keep going. He couldn't let Gedeon leave with that medallion! Yet, he really didn't want the minotaur to punch him again.

How could I let this happen? Ian thought with shame.

He wished he had never handed the S.S. Medallion over to this impostor, and he wished that he hadn't been so eager and curious. All it was doing was leading him down a path of trouble—and it ultimately convinced him to use a spell that he had always wanted to use, only to have it backfire on him! He really thought his Armor Spell would work—but why didn't it? he wondered.

"Foolish boy...I have REAL power with this medallion, you see!" Gedeon boasted some more as he witnessed the young elf tend to his weakened shoulder. It was once a shoulder that the trickster had used to place his own hand on to encourage the boy to do what he wanted. But now that his pawn did do as he wanted and was free to be his grotesque self again, there was no need for that anymore.

As Ian continued to massage his shoulder, he gazed up and made a scowl at his foe. "You...can't do this! You-YOU CHEAT!" he cried.

But all the rogue wizard could do was laugh scornfully at this retort. "'Cheat'?" he questioned. "Oh, no, no, no, I didn't cheat! You are just sadly mistaken, my boy..."

Just the same, Ian—even on his knees—stood firm.

"No...I'm not...," he said, feeling his voice crack in his effort to stand up to his adversary. "You lied to me...y-y-you used me...but I...I won't rest...until I stop you! No matter what kind of creature you are!"

A stoic Gedeon crossed his arms.

"Not giving up, eh?" he asked the young wizard. "Well then...looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Without giving Ian the chance to respond, the minotaur took a couple steps backward, clutched the S.S. Medallion in his hand, and shouted, "Ad normalis!"

With this new incantation, a different transformation bubble appeared. It wasn't as bright or powerful as the ones before it, but it still did something to Gedeon. To Ian's confusion, the magic had swiftly transformed the shapeshifter out of his minotaur form and back into his gremlin self!