A Sword For Gold

Chapter 18 - Dazolece

"Down there."

Vaelia and Baros led the way as they tried their best to match everything they saw with their memories of their childhood, before disaster had struck the home of Vaelia Martel all those years ago. After all, it was where Vaelia would always go to: the top of the Great Waterfall that was situated along the southern border of Levyria. She'd always come to this part of the grasslands, which was just a stone's throw away from her home, and jump towards the bottom of the falls, using merely her levitation to break her fall and land softly upon the ground, where she would then meet up with Baros Delvis every single day to bring him some food or chitchat or play around, or whatever.

It was a routine they had followed ever since Vaelia had learned how to float off the ground. Baros would always walk all the way from his house, which was not too far, and wait every single day at the bottom of the waterfall to meet up with his friend, eager to play with her or watch her perform spells of sorcery, or especially receiving gifts of food from her, courtesy of Vaelia's mother.

"That's where you two would meet up every day?" asked Cora, as she stood at the edge, looking over the top view of the Great Waterfall, the land below surprisingly covered by quite a number lively trees despite the reputably desolate lands of Dazolece. After all, it was towards the border between Dazolece and Levyria. It had to be at least the kingdom's outskirts, and therefore, away from where the lands of Levyria have mainly been contaminated for as long as mankind has lived.

"How do you even make your way down there, Vaelia? Did you climb your way down there?" asked Kaleb, his hand blocking out the rising morning sun as he looked below, anticipating and estimating what would have been a long, presumably deadly fall.

"Like this," replied Vaelia, as she demonstrated by running off the edge of the cliff much to everyone but Baros' and Velenya's surprise, leaping into the air and making what probably was her quickest way down. Immediately, the others ran to the edge, almost opening their mouths to scream for Vaelia who had "fallen down," but as they looked over, they saw her at the bottom of the Great Waterfall, just by the riverbank, and Vaelia had arrived to the bottom of the falls, unscathed and not a single scratch or bruise on her.

"She uses levitation to break her fall," answered Baros, finally clearing things up for the others who weren't able to understand what had just happened with Vaelia leaping off the cliff to what they thought was her sure death.

"Good grief," Maraxus sighed, wiping a bead of sweat or two off of his forehead, "She had us worried for a moment there."

"Well?" asked Kaleb, "How are we supposed to make our way down there?"

"Leave that to me," assured Velenya, as she infused a heavy load of fiery magic in her hand, before releasing it into the grass, and from the flames rose her phoenix once again, summoned to do her bidding, so that they could get to the bottom of the Great Waterfall safely.

"I'm going to need you for a moment, Blaze," she said to her very own phoenix, caressing it softly and lovingly by its neck, before she climbed unto its back and beckoned for the others to follow suit.

"Wha—"

"It's okay, Kaleb," assured Cora, as she, Maraxus, and Baros climbed upon the phoenix's back, while Kaleb, who had not yet tried riding the phoenix, simply stood there behind them, his mouth agape in shock and disbelief.

"If you're worried about burning," Velenya spoke, "Don't you worry. I'm the one who controls how much this phoenix's fires really burn. Only I am capable of controlling it."

"Alright," relented Kaleb, shrugging, as he reluctantly climbed upon the massive phoenix's back to join the others, situating himself behind Baros, close to the end of its tail, and gripping as much as he could towards its warm feathers and skin.