Heather's Adventures: The Search for Maxamus

??? - roses

Damn, it hurt like hell. I hadn't been overpowered like that in years.

"Don't you get it? There is no more medicine. It's gone. Nothing is left. The Moonlight Caverns are now sealed with a strong tracking magick. There's no way I'm going back for more water for the medicine. Get that through your skull, 'Martha' if that's even what you're still going by nowadays."

I picked myself up off the dirty back-alleyway ground. "Damn, for an old man you still hit hard. I'm still getting used to my movements."

He kept his mage cloak over his body and face, "The Blood Rose should know better."

"Well the Malignant Hydrangea should also know better not to pick on little girls half his size and a quarter of his age."

"And we both know the truth about that. My answer still stands. I'm not getting you the medicine unless you bring me Moonlight Spring Water. I'm not messing with that barrier, and I sure as hell am not messing with that monster again."

"And once again, he's not a monster. Look, she needs this medicine. I can't heal her any other way and there's no way I can bring her back here to Thera."

He shook his head, "bring me the water and we'll have a deal. You're the powerful one here."

I shook my head, "Fine. I'll investigate. But only this once. I can't leave her alone for that long." It was time to move. I unsheathed my sword from my side and drew it in front of me. A simple think black blade with a black metal rose on the hilt. Two long blue ribbons swayed in the wind from being attached at the bottom of the hilt with a metal circular ring. Between them was a hidden fuchsia hair clip. My ticket out of here.

"By the way, Poppy has been corrupted. If you're gathering water bring me back some to start making a cure for her."

"Poppy? Haven't seen her in ages." I remarked.

"Well you might want to do something about that, seeing as you hold the sword."

"If I find her I'll deal with her then. I have other matters to attend to now that are much more important. Poppy will be fine, we're bound to run into each other eventually anyway." I clipped the hair clip from my sword into my hair and sheathed my sword once again.

"And how is Lily? He seems to be the only one you like to keep around."

"He's doing just fine, thank you." I responded rather bitterly. This conversation was never going to go my way it seemed.

As I prepared for my teleportation to investigate, he made one more remark to me. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Yucca gave me a message to give to you."

"Oh yeah? What is that?" My focus was on my magicks I was using with the hair clip to open the portal. It contained the power, I just had to unseal it to use it properly. I typically didn't have it active at all so it couldn't be traced.

"Meet at the UWO archives at dawn to chase the light."

I froze in my preparations, "really? Are you serious?"

"I asked her the same."

I closed my eyes, pondered for a moment, then shook my head and exhaled deeply, "there's nothing we can do at this time. CROSS is without a leader, the prince is gone, the Phoenix refuses to come back to Thera, we lost all of platoon III. Yucca's still an asshole. The remaining members are mostly in hiding waiting for a signal from, well, anyone who decides to take lead. But what I've gathered from a few other members, Eckhart's kids resent their father, their mother is held in family limbo and has been cut off from most contact, and the Phoenix is taking care of the remaining children of Platoon III. It's not like the light would want to be on our side, having no idea what we've been up against."

"It's not like you to give up so soon. You've been the one carrying hope all this time. Why don't you take over CROSS?"

"I can't do that. I've got my own matters to attend to right now. Like the medicine."

"Say...why do you need that medicine?"

"I thought I told you to not ask questions. But if you really must know, it's for a young ill girl. Anyway I must be going now." I turned and began working on my magicks again. She needed that medicine, and I wasn't about to let her go without it.

As he turned to leave, he gave me one last parting word, "Let the light guide your way young one."

I knew I'd let the light guide my way, I was bound to meet her one day. Miss. Heather Mellissa. Our paths were destined to cross. And what did that mean for our future? That was still uncertain.