The Monster Hero

Chapter 33 - Not the Wizard

"We're here," I say.

"Finally!" Red says.

The wizard's house is in a clearing with a tangled forest circling it.

"Sh," I say.

Something isn't right. I can feel it in the atmosphere circling the house.

"Be quiet and cautious."

We walk up to the house and knock.

"Who is it?" Says a raspy voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm Elliott, this is Red, and that is Fred. We need your help," I say.

"Oh. Of course. Come in," the raspy voice says.

The door swings open.

"Thank y..."

Nobody is on the other side.

"Come into the living room," The voice says.

We walk into the living room and see a hooded figure sitting on couch.

"Hello," says the figure.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"The wizard, of course. Why else would I be wearing these robes and be sitting in this house," The figure says.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Red snarls.

The figure chuckles.

"What makes you so suspicious?" the figure says.

"I don't know. Maybe the fact that you're creepy!" Red says.

"I want to touch," Fred says, as he walks over to the figure.

The figure tries to back away. Fred pulls the hood off the figure. Red pulls Fred away. What is sitting on the couch in the wizard's robes is anything but the wizard.

"A manmoth," I mutter.

Red gasps. The manmoth sheds the wizards robes and unfolds its wings. It starts walking towards us. Staring at us with those big black eyes.

A manmoth has wings like a moth, the head and eyes of a moth, and the fur coat of a moth. Otherwise, it looks like a man with a really big puffed out chest.

And this one was walking toward us. Red grabs Fred and runs out of the room. I follow close behind. The manmoth follows us out of the room. We dart out the door. I hold it closed. The manmoth pushes at the door. Then it stops.

Bam! The manmoth flies through the roof. I duck as the manmoth shoots a fire ball at me. The manmoth shoots a fire ball at Red and Fred. Red drags Fred out of the way of the fire ball.

At that moment, Abby comes out of the forest and gets the full blast of the fire ball. She collapses. Red screams. Fred starts crying silently. I turn back towards the manmoth.

"Red, you and Fred go look for the real wizard," I say.

Red nods and runs towards the house with Fred, while I keep the manmoth focused on me. Once I see that they have made it, I keep the manmoth busy. Red waves at me a little while later. I run toward her.

"The wizard is locked away. The prison can only be opened by the tear of the manmoth," Red tells me.

I nod.

"Make sure Fred stays here. We have to get that tear." I say.

Red nods. I run back out into the open. The manmoth lands and starts shooting fire balls again. He corners me. He swats at me with his hand. A sound escapes my lips. I fall to the ground holding my bleeding stomach. The manmoth swipes again. This time he gets my leg. He swipes a third time. My arm starts bleeding. Once he sees that I'm battered and bleeding, he leans down with his mouth open, displaying sharp teeth. I close my eyes, waiting for the moment when his jaws sink in, when my life ends. It never comes. I open my eyes. The manmoth is inches away from my face.

A single tear wells up in its eye. I catch the solidified tear in my hand. The monster starts falling. I roll out of the way, just in time.

"Are you okay?" Red asks.

She had stabbed the manmoth in the back.

"Yeah. Yeah. Never better," I answer.

I look over at Abby's body. I run over to her. Dead. Her front is burned.

Being hit by the full blast of a manmoth's fire ball can kill you. It certainly killed Abby. I hold the tear tighter.

"Let's go free the wizard," I say.

Red grips Fred's hand and follows me down some stairs. We enter the dungeon. As we walk, I wonder, how many people have a dungeon as a basement? We find the wizard locked in the last cell. I put the tear into a tear shaped hole. The tear dissolves and the cell door opens. The wizard steps out.

"Thank you for saving me from that manmoth. Did you want something?" The wizard says.

"We need something that can help us defeat my brother, Slash," I say.

"Why?" The wizard asks, suspiciously.

"Because otherwise every human in the world will be dead," I say.

The wizard taps his chin.

"When you put it that way, I think I can help you," he says.

He leads us back up the steps and into his house. We follow him into his observatory.

"I give you, my dear, this healing potion, my wand, and this magic pouch. This pouch is bottomless. You can put as much of anything as you want in it. The healing potion can heal any wound or injury. The wand is, well, magic," he says, as he gives Red the pouch, the wand, and the bottle of healing potion.

Red ties the pouch around her waist and drops the wand in it. She gives me a few drops from the bottle before dropping it in the pouch as well.

"Thanks. I kind of forgot I got injured," I say. 

The wizard turns to me.

"As for you, young man, I give you this magic horn, this sword and shield, and this armor," The wizard says.

He hands me the armor, shield, sword, and horn. He also hands a horn to Red.

"These horns can summon help, no matter where you are. You can also hear each other's horn."

The wizard sticks his finger in his ear and pulls out some ear wax.

"Thanks, again," I say.

The wizard nods. Red drags Fred towards the exit. I nod at the wizard and follow Red out the door.

"Do you think that the potion will work on Abby?" Red asks.

I shake my head.

"We will probably need every last drop. I don't want to risk it not working," I answer.

"But what if it does work? What if?" Red says.

"Can we go?" Fred moans.

We both look down at him.

"Sure," I say.

Red grabs one of Fred's hands and I grab the other. We walk back into the forest. We have a long journey back after all.