Mystic

Chapter 15

     Painful was a understatement. When you got the thorns they pinched they hurt and they stung. First, they put a liquid from a bottle which said that it was called Verticalt on your neck and they force you to drink it by shoving it down your throat. It sort of numbs it, but not really. Then they gather the needles from the Fojodoban tree and get a cord of a skin from some animal and thread the thorns on to the rope. By that time, the numbing medicine has gone out, but another medicine is put on your throat to constrict it. After they do that, they slowly choose the dullest needle and put a salve on your neck that disintegrates your skin. Lastly, they slowly thread the needles through the rest of your skin. The pain was so severe and you were mute so you could not communicate and you could barely breathe.

I met with them outside. We boarded our boat and helped us get there on time. Thankfully there was enough quiet to focus and to pay attention to everything. Eating was hard help was hard directions were hard. Everything was hard. I hoped that this wasn't a prank. Zoila had no thorns and she sometimes told stories to keep our minds busy. I hoped that we would get the thorns off as soon as possible. We were constantly scared and when we got there we were so freaked out and nervous. It was so quiet and listless when we got there. For the umpteenth time I willed myself to talk. Nothing came out. It just constricted more. It hurt every second of every day.

When we finally got there we were so excited and eager to get the thorns off. We met the Dragon Council there immediately.The broad, square towers piercing the sky are the first you'll see of this castle and are connected by enormous, thick walls made of light red stone.Rough windows are scattered here and there across the walls in an asymmetric pattern, along with asymmetric crenelations for archers and artillery. A regular gate with massive wooden doors, a regular bridge and a moat guards the last stronghold along this rough shoreline and it's the only way in, at least to those unfamiliar with the castle and its surroundings.

Plain fields of a type of grass cover most of the fields outside of the castle, adding to the castle's aesthetics. This castle is relatively new, but so far it stood its ground with ease and it'll likely do so for ages to come.They gladly took the thorns off of our necks. Then, demanded to know what we had found. We did not know they were going to ask for that, so all we could give them is our notes from the underwater museum, the robes we wore, and a little bottle of salve Laurence had found in the dirt on our way here. Unfortunately, we also had to give up the water system we had used, a fishing line Sonia had made on the first day of our travels. I refused to give up my language decoder, and Laurence refused to donate the necklace. Sonia refused to share her bag in which she contained the leftover invention things we found on The Island of Thorns. They immediately ordered us to donate the items or they could call the meeting back on and destroy the world along with every living thing alive. Sonia then donated her things. Laurence and I stared at her in awe. She passed a thing under the table where we sat along with a note.

This Rainbow Moonstone with an antique cushion cut and the size of a lemon is in premium condition. These gems are often ignored, but they're a quite rare gemstone species.It's said these gems contain shady properties which make for a great defensive artifact enhancement.

This Prehnite with an octagon cut and the size of a blueberry is in poor condition. These gems are rarely sought after, but they're a very uncommon gemstone species.It's said these gems contain light properties which make for a great offensive jewelry.

This Boulder Opal with a heart cut and the size of a blueberry is in outstanding condition. These gems are in average demand, but they're an incredibly common gemstone species.It's said these gems contain enlarging properties which make for a great defensive spell focus.

This Sphene with a briolette cut and the size of a lemon is in pristine condition. These gems are in very high demand, but they're a very common gemstone species.It's said these gems contain rejuvenating properties which make for a great defensive weapon.

I put the note in my pocket telling myself to put it in my notebook later. I looked at her. She pointed at my things. I pretended to fidget around, actually pressing the button on the device. It silently made a complete copy or clone of my things without any value. Therefore my decoder did not work.

I quickly passed the copy to the dragon leader who then stated he was their emperor. Then I gave the invention to Laurence. He also used it. The dragon emperor accepted our items thankfully and told us to travel back to our home Island. We thought that he did not notice our duplicator but of course we were very, very wrong.