The Blessed Stones <Complete>

A New Destination

It was morning by the time Evelyn woke up. Tyde is sat on a rock on the other side of the cavern. He hears her groan in pain. 

"Take it easy, you lost a lot of blood ya know," he advises.

Her wound is wrapped in leaves that Tyde found in the forest, to stop the bleeding.

"Did... you do this...?" 

"Yeah, who else would have?"

For a minute she just lies there, thinking.

She finally tries to stand, groaning in pain as she does so. 

"Come on... let's go..."

"You're hurt, it wouldn't be wise to travel Straxand in that condition... it's no Earth..."

She sends him a frustrated look, "Come on, you really think it's a good idea to stick around here, what if those... things... attack us again tonight?" She argues, "Come on, where to next?"

"Your not gonna give up until we're walking again are you...?" She doesn't even need to speak to him to give an answer, or shake her head for that matter. 

"Right, then we're going to the Cathedral of Earth, their magic will be able to heal you," he suggests. 

"Right... come on then," she starts walking toward the exit but before getting there she turns her head, "and Tyde... thanks."

It had been around an hour and a half since Evelyn and Tyde had left there temporary shelter. Although conversation had not been optimal, it was much better than it was yesterday; Evelyn had actually started to reply to Tyde's questions, and even asked him some of her own. 

"What does this... cathedral look like anyway Tyde?"

"Oh... let's just say... when you see it, you'll know it's it."

"Oh... real helpful..." She answers. 

"Haha, ya remember the Cathedral of Water? Where we left from, just think of that, but replace all the blue with green."

Evelyn doesn't reply, but instead widens her eyes. She thinks back to the images the stone showed her in the cathedral and realises that they must be the same ones. Maybe now she would finally find out what it is she's meant to be doing on this journey.

"Anyway, we're almost there now! It's probably going to be quite dangerous though; all the cathedrals are kind of on... 'Lock-down' at the moment..."

"Oh? Why's that?" Asked Evelyn; starting to get more intrigued. 

"In all honesty, I'm not completely sure, but I think the Cathedral of Water sent an alert out to the other clan's arch-mage's to say that the Blessed Stone of Water was stolen."

Evelyn's heart sank after hearing this; guessing that the 'Blessed Stone of Water' was the stone she had with her, the one that brought her into this world in the first place.

"Err... do you know what the Blessed Stone of Water looks like...?" she asked, in hope. 

"Yeah, it's kind of just like a blue gemstone that glows. I've heard it's filled with some kind of magical energy... I don't know if it's true though..."

Evelyn pats her pocket to check if she still has the stone; she does. She considers for a moment whether she should tell Tyde, but she knows she'll have to one time or another, it may as well be now. She takes the stone out of her pocket and shows it to Tyde, "Is it something like this...?"

Tyde doesn't answer, at first. He just looks at her. 

"You... stole it!" His mood completely changed. 

"No! Let me explain..." 

"What is there to explain, thief?" He gives a cynical look, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now." 

"It was sent to me, in the mail, while I was on Earth! I was told to go to meet someone, and when I got there, he was a skeleton, he told me to touch his hand, and when I did... I ended up in that cathedral... I don't know how it got to me, but I didn't steal it!" She was running out of breath; she spoke so fast when she was in a panic. 

"The messenger or quests..." Tyde turns away. 

"What...?" asks Evelyn, still out of breath and panting. 

"He goes to Earth to bring people here... when there's no one from Straxand that can do it..."

"Can do... what?" 

"Who knows? It could be a quest, it could be a task. You may even have to kill a villain. It doesn't matter what it is, someone from Straxand can't do it alone," he explains.

"I think... I need to collect the rest of these stones..."

"That's probably why no one from Straxand can do it... anyone to steal one of those stones would be locked away for the rest of their life... but I guess they can't lock away someone who isn't from here."

"Well how many more are there...?" 

"Four."

Evelyn stays silent for a moment... unsure of how to ask her next question.

"Will you... help me...?"

"Evelyn... as much as I'd like to... I can't be of much help. If I'm caught, I'll be thrown in prison, or worse, executed..."

"I understand, if you don't want to, go home, I'll continue by myself..."

She says that, but she knows without Tyde, she wouldn't have a clue where she'd be going, and that she'd probably end up dead before getting anywhere.

"Hey, I never said I wouldn't help, let's go!" He winks at her, sparking a sense of confidence in them both.