Two Worlds: Clash of the Guardians (Completed)

X - The Singing Mushroom

 Elli

October 4, in the year of 8845, Reminis Calendar (RC) 

"Who are you?" asked Marko. He almost stumbled over Elli, who had tagged along to investigate the noise. 

Elli yelped at the sight of the man in front of her and cowered behind Marko.

"This is ridiculous! You don't recognise the man who had shared the same socks with you?" said the man.

"Lukas?" Marko and Elli asked in unison. "What happened to you?" 

Lukas' hair had turned white overnight, brighter than the snow in the winter. His skin was wrinkled; the birth mark on his neck looked like a pile of mucked crayon drawing. His double chin wriggled as he harrumphed in annoyance. "You don't look better than I am."

Marko and Elli dashed to the wall mirror, and almost collapsed at their own sight. 

Marko's teeth had turned darker than charcoal, and they shook as he grumbled his doubts. Layers of cataract covered his once clear grey eyes. Elli, who was proud of her tall figure, lamented over her hunchback. Dark spots scattered over her once ivory skin.

"Get change quick. You must see this," Lukas urged.

Despite their frail look, their action was nimble. 

Within minutes, they had changed over their traveling cloaks and pinned their weapons to their belts. Elli didn't forget to clasp the snoring jukebox to her pocket. After ensuring no belongings were left behind, they followed Lukas and the other friends to the pub's living hall.

Benedict's muscle looked flappy. Rooney's once red ironed hair fell to the floor as they ran along the corridors, and he looked as bald as Benedict. Roxy, contrariwise, didn't transform much, except having some silver strands playing hide and seek among her red hair. 

Elli frowned at Roxy but her thoughts were soon disrupted by the panorama in front of her. The pillars and the walls of the pub shone with such bright brilliance that even a palace could be overshadowed. The poltergeists and the cobwebs were nowhere to be seen.

"The building inhales our energy, remember? We need to find the potion of juvenile. This way," said Lukas. 

They ran to the chamber where the poltergeist servant retrieved the potion yesterday.

Marko darted to the shelf as he saw the pink potion. The lid of a basket beneath it shot open. A cobra rose and hissed at him. Without being intimidated, Marko waved his wand and it transformed into a scimitar. The snake's eyes glinted with fear and it retreated into the basket. 

The group gulped down the potions and within minutes, they returned to their original looks.

"Let's get out of here." Marko led them out of the building, and they sighed at their escape.

The building flickered under the sunrays and vanished into thin air. It was already high noon. They consulted their map without dilly-dallying. They couldn't find Pokkadon Poltergeists' Pub on it, and that added to their frustration.

Lukas was about to tuck the map back into his suit when Elli shouted, "Wait, the picture is moving!" 

The sunrays shone on the map, and the tiny spot where they stood enlarged. They could now see rivulets of streams and rocks of caverns. Not far away from their current location, they figured out a skeleton with the words, The Three Sisters, marking on its forehead.

"The Three Sisters' Home of Arch is westwards from the Mount of Bi-Zantine. We need to avoid that. That means, we must walk the other direction," said Marko.