Blooming Sages

Chapter 9- Dilemma in the Desert

  West, Ken, and Lark

  Ken and Lark finally made it to the desert in the west. There was sand as far as they could see. The sun was hotter than before which made Ken take off his hoodie and tie it around his waist again. "I never knew there was a desert out here." Ken panted from the heat. "If you paid attention in Geography, maybe you would have." Lark teased, "I did pay attention!" "With your head down? Tell me then, what lives to the north of our continent?" Ken thought long and hard but after a while, Lark answered, "Humans." "Huh? Why'd you say it like they're a different species?" "That's what they want to pound into us, Mages. They think we're the very spawn of the devil. They called the area they occupy the "Human Region"." Ken noticed Lark was agitated by the thought of the other Humankind. "Well, then we'll show 'em that we're no different!" "You think the First Sages and the Founders didn't try that? It's like you never read The Twin Tales of the World." "Nope, I haven't," Ken replied confused. Lark stopped walking and actually showed any emotion, surprise. "The Twin Tales of the World is one of a collection of stories written by Lily Blume, one of The Founders of magic herself, about the struggle the founders went through regarding their disownment from the Human Region and having to migrate south to eventually build Lily City. It informs us, of today, about how mages back then use to be treated. Everyone in Lily City has read- " Lark stopped himself, realizing that Ken didn't grow up inside the walls. He coughed and continued on.

  Ken liked seeing Lark show emotions so he decided to ask some questions. "You seem to know a lot about, a lot. Is study all you do?" "Oh no, Ken's gonna think I'm lame if I tell him I'm just a book worm!" Lark thought in his head, eventually replying with, "No, I also play multiple instruments when I'm not learning all I can." "Learning all you can? That sounds more like a Kurokawa thing." "I must be prepared if someone cannot live up to their expectations." "You don't believe we can make it as Sages?" Ken asked Lark, worried. "By the time the child is old enough he might realize the stress of the whole city counting on him, Francesca wouldn't lift a finger for Lily City, the other girl would mess up every spell from anxiety and you might not even live long enough to see the day." Ken stopped in silence, shocked by Lark's response. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know any of us and you're no better than any of us!" Ken exclaimed, angrily before running away. "I did it again." Lark thought to himself.

  North, Frankie

  Frankie stared off into the seemingly never-ending old-war battlefield silently. "You've got to be joking," she said pissed. "A white diamond in all this debris might as well be brown by now..." She started looking around in old towers and holes. After 15 minutes she started getting aggravated, "Uggghhh!!! Where's the damn diamond!?" And then it came to her. Where she had seen the Impenetrable Tower before. "That book he read to me when I was younger...." Frankie summoned her Flying Slippers and combined them with the Quasar Guns to make the Quasar Boots, black and blue boots that can blast Frankie through the sky faster than with the slippers. She blasted into the sky towards the tower thinking, "I can't believe that deadbeat was useful to me..."

  West, Ken

  Ken in his anger made it to an area that looked like a shrine buried in the sand. "Woah." He leaned against one of the pillars that still stood. "Look, Eric! The rumors were true!" Ken, startled, hid behind the pillar and saw two men dressed in light-colored cloaks. "I guess. So, where's the crystal, Todd?" The one named Eric asked, inspecting a pillar. "After all these years it's probably been buried under this sand right here! So, let's get digging!" Todd tossed a shovel at his partner and started digging. "Ah, other people looking for the crystal!" Ken approached them and said, "Hello!" which startled Todd, causing him to jump behind Eric. "W-what? His hair, Eric!" "Its blood red. Just like a warlock...I guess." "No way! I heard about adventurers going south and never returning but to find a warlock out here! How rare!" Todd pulled out a knife and Eric loaded a shotgun and pointed it at Ken. "Wait..what!? Warlock?" Ken thought they might be the humans from up North. "Don't shoot!" "How disgusting! It seems they really do kill humans, skin them, and use them as disguises!" "No, this is me! My name is Ken-" a shot from Eric barely missed Ken's head as he ran and hid behind a pillar. "I can't kill them...that'd just ruin our relationship even more....what do I do!?" Bullets destroyed the pillar from behind Ken's head and before the final shot, Eric was hit in his stomach. "OOF!" he cried out, falling to the ground. "Eric! An invisibility spell!" Ken took the opportunity to run which alerted Todd's attention making him throw the knife which sliced Ken's leg. "Gotcha!" He ran after him.

  A sandstorm kicked up which allowed Ken to get away for the time being. He scurried off and hid behind two broken pillars. "Ah. Those two are gonna keep trying to kill me unless I subdue them...Bonfire Sanctuary," Ken cast. Flames circled around his wound and healed him. "I can't see anything in this sand storm though." As quickly as the storm started, it ceased, revealing a new figure standing before Todd. "Wha- another warlock!?" "Warlock? Fool! I am Aries, the Ram Solider of The Red Army, led by Lord Mars!" Aries pulled out his flaming javelin and proceeded to strike Todd, before Ken protected him, "NO!" "AH!!" Ken cast Bonfire Sanctuary at the perfect moment. "Ah, there you are! My true target. Valiant Pressure!!" Aries rapidly jabbed the shield of flames. "You...protected me..?" "Go! I can't hold him forever!" Todd came to his senses and ran to Eric. "Face me!" Aries yelled, shattering the force field.

  Ken dodged as many of Aries' jabs as he could, taking a small amount of damage, "Soaring Blaze!" Aries cut through Ken's attack, laughing, "Did you honestly think you could match up to me!? Come on, let's see who can dish out the most attacks!!" Aries kicked Ken into a fallen pillar, "ACK!" Ken hacked. Aries put on a menacing grin and dashed at Ken before he was blasted into the sky with the sound of a thunderclap following.

"Get up."

  Ken heard a voice in his head and got up. "Who-"

"DO IT!"

  Without a second thought, Ken raised his arm and blasted a Soaring Flame at Aries, causing an explosion. "Woah..how'd I..." "Ken." Ken turned around and saw Lark standing on a pillar. "Lark..helped me?" "I'll help you out," he said glaring down at him. Aries yelled loudly as he rose from the sand. His sword set ablaze which crystallized the sand, "Lucky shot. Now I'm serious." Ken smiled and said confidently, "Come at us!"