I Told You Once, And I Told You Twice, I AM Maxwell!

Chapter 3: The Escape from Fennmont

The waters were still for one moment before it started to move. If there was anyone looking, they would find it strange that small waves and bubbles were appearing in the middle of the surface. Not even a minute later, the water flew up in the air as a blonde haired woman burst out of the water.

Milla coughed and spluttered a bit as she yanked Jude to the surface. The Lord of Spirits gasped and flailed about in the water, coughing out the water in his lungs. They sloppily swam to a ledge.

"Come here," Milla said as she helped Jude climb up to the hard surface. After a bit of slipping and sliding, he finally made it and crumpled on the floor. Milla was worried for a second that he had passed out, but she could hear him trying to catch his breath. She pulled herself up with a bit difficultly and shook her head. Her hair was already falling out of her bun and thoroughly soaked again.

"You alright there, Jude?" Milla asked as she undid her hair and wrung it out again. The teen in question was starting to sit up with a worried smile.

"Y-yeah...I'm—I'm alright. J-just a bit cold..." he stammered as he rubbed his upper arms a bit. He was still dripping with water and Milla couldn't help but notice the tiny shiver in his body. She smirked a bit and patted Jude's head.

"You'll be alright." she assured him. Jude shakily stood up on his feet and began to brush any water off of him. The two took the moment to wrung out their clothes and hair, not wanting to catch a cold. Milla was a bit irritated that she got herself dumped in water, not once, but twice in one day.

"Thanks for helping me." Jude said after a few minutes. Surprisingly, his hair was already drying as the colors in his hair dulled a shade. "Swimming is certainly no easy feat."

"You never swam before?" Milla questioned as she gave up on her hair, letting it fall behind her.

"Undine was the one who helped me." he answered simply. Milla frowned as she looked over him again. If he wasn't wearing that coat, she was pretty sure that Jude was really thin. It seemed loose on him, yet at the same time, it was fitting. She placed a hand on her hip and finally processed his words.

"You mean...you really lost the power of the Great Spirits?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. Jude pressed his lips together as he nodded. "Then what's gonna happen now? You can't go back in there and destroy that weapon without their power."

Jude held his elbows as he looked to the side thoughtfully. "You make a good point..." He said as he turned around. He took a few steps to pace a bit while he spoke his thoughts. "Hmmm...There has to be something..."

Milla stepped back to give him some space to think, hoping that he would come up with an answer.

"Wait." Jude said as he stopped. He dropped his hands and looked up. "Maybe if I head back to Nia Khera..."

"Nia Khera?" Milla asked, prompting him to continue. He turned around and gave her a smile.

"If I go back, then I can probably summon Efreet, Undine, Sylph, and Gnome from there." he said. "Thanks for your help, Milla. I think I can handle things on my own from here on out."

"Huh?" Milla barely had the chance to say anything as Jude hurried past her. "Hey! Wait!"

She clicked her tongue in a slight frustration and ran after him. She was able to catch him right went they got to the pathways over the waterways. Milla grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Jude felt his eyes widen in surprise as he practically found himself stuck in place. He turned to see Milla narrowing her eyes at him.

"Ah, let me go!" he exclaimed.

"Jude! Do you have any idea where your going? You should go to—!" she began, but was cut off by a voice.