The Edge Chronicles

 

guys lets try to do the whole series and btw i dibs twig but ill be quint for now and someone can then take over from me. ok? So like someone can be quint (me for now), someone can be maris, someone can be wind jackal and someone can be linius. oh and im high on coffee whilst writing this.

The wind whipped past his face, lifting his hair. Quint looked down over the railings of the Galerider, down to Sanctaphrax below. It’s so pretty, he thought dreamily as he stared down to the buildings perched on top of the floating island. Wind Jackal was at the wheel, frowning at the sky in front of him. As they drew nearer to Sanctaphrax, Quint had the time to appreciate every curve and every intricate detail carved into the buildings. As they landed, Quint realised that he hadn’t been to Sanctaphrax before. What if they disapproved of him? He thought of all the wizened academics and scholars looking at him, disdain clear on their faces. He’d show them. He was Quintinius Verginix, the son of the finest sky pirate in the world!

He stepped into the halls where the Most High Academe lived. He had never seen such luxury. He suddenly felt self-conscious. He didn’t belong here. He belonged up there, in the sky, riding the Galerider. No. Everything was too delicate, too refined, too… pretty. A figure stepped from the dark recesses of the hall. It was a thin, tall person with thin lines sunken into their face. Quint didn’t like it. It was too mysterious. His father, however, stepped forwards, inclining his head with respect. “Linius Pallitax, Most High Academe,” he said, ” It has been a long while, Linius,” still pumping the Most High Academe’s hand up and down in an excited manner, like that of a six-year-old. Quint looked around, still taking in the depth of the situation, and saw a girl. She was roughly his age, judging by her slim frame and defiant eyes. Oh well, maybe not everything here was terrible…

#Bai

Perhaps you can write in first person, and I’ll write in third person.

Quint looked out and wondered what adventures there could be in this vast land that he knew nothing about. It was so large, who even knew what secrets this entire thing could contain. Who even knew? Even those living on this island couldn’t possibly know all the information about this place. He wished he could know all the customs. While he was here, all of this seemed interesting, and he wished that he could do something to explore, but for now, he still wished he could go back with his father to explore the skies that he had never seen before. At this time, his father, Wind Jackal had been talking to the professor about something important, clearly, for they were still in deep conversation, about what though was the matter for they seemed to keep discussing Quint, for Quint’s father kept pointing at him. It had to be important, or the professor would not have called them all here just for a small matter. 

“Him? But for how long?”

“Not very long, Wind Jackal, for it would be only to help me with my experiment, which I now will not take long, for I’m already made plenty of progress on something that nobody has ever done before, for this plan of mine is genius. I am doing things no other human has ever done before, so I just need a helper to do some of the more physical jobs. Please.”

“Alright, but you had better make sure he is safe, or I tell you I will be furious.”

“I promise.”

Quint felt a great deal of alarm when he heard these words? He was going to stay here, with these people he had barely met before, and stay with them. What about his dream to become the captain of the Galreider when it was time for him to do so? How could he do such a thing, especially when this had been his dream for so long?

 

#Yao

I guess I’ll be Maris for now

I was busy in my room arranging the mosaic for Father when that wretched boy flew in. He immediately began touching everything he could get his hands on, and when I tried to block him from the table, he barged right past and started fidgeting with the precious tiles! I attempted to shoo him away, but he interrupted me quite rudely.

“Wow, this is really pretty! It must be for someone important.”

“It’s for my father. Which, if you haven’t gotten a hint yet, is the Most High Academe of Sanctaphrax.”

I do admit, my tone may have been just a little on the condescending scale. But it made him go away, and I was left in peace.

Soon, however, I heard Welma’s piercing voice penetrate the walls.

“Excuse me, but it is RUDE to stare!”

I stifled a snigger. Would this turn into a scolding session?

Of course not.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! My name is Quint, and I’m new here. I am, however, pleased to be your acquaintance.”

Immediately, I could hear Welma gushing about his manners and nobleness and then a loud declaration of being the son of a sky pirate came from the filthy brat. And when my pet wood-lemix, Digit, screeched at him, he simply tickled her until she began purring with delight.

With just a few caramel-sweet phrases, both my nanny and my pet were now under his control. Then, Welma announced she had to go make tea, and the vulgar boy came back in and began pestering me. He said he wanted to help me, and since it was dark in the room, I asked him to light my lamp for me.

And at that exact moment, I could almost see something glimmer in his eyes.

Was that…fear?

dudu

“If you’re so brave, then why don’t you light my lamp for me?”

Everything was going so well before that question. Quint froze in his position next to the table. He couldn’t refuse, could he? No. It would be too ungentlemanly for him to refuse. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Images flashed before his eyes. The orange flames licking at the rooves, trapping him in a ring of fire. The smell of sulphur stinging his nostrils. No. He couldn’t. But he had to. So he turned around and made his way to the dreaded lufwood burner.

When it happened, he had just picked up a piece of burning lufwood with some tongs. The buoyant purple flames of burning lufwood crawled down the stick, slowly making their way up it. Then Welma bustled in, carrying a tray laden with different delicacies. 

“I have oakapple pies and hyleberry jam with toasted oakbread. Ooh, actually, you could have it with one of my personal favourites, hammelhorn curd,” Quint jumped, dropping the lufwood stick. Then the images came again. The pained look on his mother’s face, the look of grief and misery on his father’s.

“It can’t happen again,” he repeated, muttering to himself under his breath.” He didn’t notice the pain, only the racing fear that pounded in his chest. It can’t happen again.

It smelt like sulphur and the heady scent of burning lufwood sap. Once Quint had dropped the lufwood into the fire, Welma was upon him, fussing and muttering as Deeptroll nannies do. Welma was rubbing hyleberry jam into Quint’s hands, vigorously slapping mounds of hyleberry jam into his hands.

“Don’t know what you were thinking, getting yourself into this mess.” She muttered. The pungent scent of hyleberries filled the room as Quint, exhausted, blacked out. 

#Bai

Maris stared at Quint and wondered what had gotten into him. It was clear from the lines on his face that he was fearing, fearing fire deeply. It seemed ridiculous that he could be scared of such a thing, for it strange that the very son of a sky-pirate captain was scared of such a puny thing to Maris. Quint, however, had a reason to fear such a thing: the very look of the bright orange flame could scare him out of his skin: he himself knew the true reason why. In his mind still echoed memories, dreams and nightmares of what had happened to him which had caused him such pain to let such a scar remain in his mind. The flame burned strong, blinding Quint’s view. The smoke choked him, filling his throat with dust, and he heard distinctly, the shouts of his kin while they burned by the fire to their deaths, to the end of their life, while he escaped by the hair on his head by leaping from rooftop to rooftop. 

Quint started, realising Maris was staring at his obvious aversion to fire. Feeling the need to explain himself, he said, “When I was young, there was a fire, set by the treacherous quartermaster, who thought he could become the captain of the Galerider himself, and he tried to do so by setting fire to our home, thinking that my father would be there, leading him to his death, but no, he was wrong, for what actually happened was that he burned down our house and my family. Only I escaped, by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Luckily the quartermaster died in the fire, and now I had fire, not for a bad reason, but because of the painful memories that it brings me from the death of so many people in one day, because of greed, using this disastrous weapon to their advantage. So to this day, I have avoided all signs of fire, and avoid even being close to it.”
With that, Maris understood more of his past and understood that he was possibly not just a filthy animal, but one with emotions, and one that had suffered copious amounts of loss. At that moment, however, all tasks involving fire were paused, for Wind Jackal had entered the room with the Most High Academe of Sanctaphrax, with news.

“Quint, you will stay here with the Most High Academe of Sanctaphrax, and be his apprentice, while I go on the Galerider. You will stay and help Linius with his studies, and help with everything else at this time.

Maris had been listening in, being very upset, for she simpy did not want such a dirty boy to share with him. Quint seemed to have arguments to, and he was about to ask them when…

 

#Yao

A resounding cough sounded in the room before either child could respond. All heads turned to the Most Academe, who had put aside a cup of tea.

“Quint will do little tasks for me that I cannot, and if time and his hard work allows, he may even have a spot in the Knight’s Academy. But for now, he will go to the Fountain House with Maris. Maris, you are responsible for guiding him along the way.”

Maris opened her mouth as if to object, but her father glared at her so intensely that she closed it. Quint also tried to speak, but Wind Jackal shushed him.

“Well then, it is decided, my old friend,” Wind Jackal declared, sadness in his voice. And it was at this moment that Quint jumped up and squeezed his father. It was as if his death sentence was being read out to him again and again, that his father was abandoning him, leaving him in this strange, new land on his own.

Teary-eyed, Quint sobbed that Wind Jackal was the only one he had left, and after a few minutes of accepting this, the captain released himself from the embrace.

“Quint, you are shaming both of us. I am not leaving you. The honorable High Academe will see to your future.”

And although the words kept him from racing after his father, it didn’t stop the hurt in Quint’s heart.

The very next day, at the crack of dawn, Quint began his new life in Sanctaphrax. And as he would find out, it would be much more difficult than his one on the Galerider.

dudu

A shrill shrieking sound broke the silence of the day. Quint turned away from the barkscrolls that he was reading, dropping his pen. He drew back the curtains and pushed open the window.

White ravens!” he exclaimed. He gazed at the flocking white birds eagerly, studying them as they settled on the High Tower. Then, he felt a sharp, needling pain in his lower calf driving into his leg. He kicked out, meaning to clip the animal on its head, but it dodged, sending Quint sprawling to the floor. A huge insect head loomed over him, staring into his eyes.

“So sorry sir, I thought you were in danger. You can’t go round leaning out of windows, see, otherwise you’ll end up like my cousin Twillet, who fell out and banged his head!” a wheezing voice said. Quint, whose heart was still pounding after the incident, rubbed his head.

“Tweezel, it was just the ravens. I haven’t seen them up close before,” he said tiredly, just wanting to go back to reading. Tweezel sighed.

“It’s the Master, sir. It’s something urgent,” he said. Quint jerked up from the barkscroll he was reading, which happened to be about spindlebugs and their habits and looked Tweezel in the eye.

“How long ago was I needed?” he asked. Tweezel fidgeted nervously, his antennae bouncing around on their stalks.

“Er, fifteen minutes ago?” he said in a small voice. 

Fifteen?” shouted Quint, pulling his cloak on, “Well then Tweezel, we’d better get going, shouldn’t we?”

“Oh, and just one thing,” Tweezel laid his pincer across Quint’s shoulder. “The Most High Academe hates to be kept waiting.”

#Bai

It must have been urgent if Tweezel had come and asked for Quint. Quickly, he collected his most important possessions and swiftly left. The walls of the buildings and streets blurred as he raced through all of Sanctaphrax. It was important that he survive this meeting or he would instantly be punished on the first day of his arrival. Meanwhile, around him, sellers were shouting out their bargain prices, and the entire place was filled with stalls to sell, shops to sell, and people with bags to sell things. After perhaps five minutes, he had arrived at the Most High Academe’s private room, where he spoke to Quint in a most urgent voice after his arrival.

“Quint, there is something I want you to do. If I were seen doing such a terrible thing, I would be removed from my position. This is mightily important, you must understand, so listen to me. Go into the Great Library, and bring back this barkscroll. I am warning you, the Library is massive, filled with many barkscrolls, so be careful. The Library is made of many basic subjects. The basic subject that you are looking for is ‘Aerial Creatures’. From here, you must follow each ‘branch’, the first of which is bird/not bird, you must follow the ‘not’ branches all the way through, until you find the barkscroll between celestial and legendary. Now, hurry, for you must not fail. Tweezel will give you the directions to the library. Now go!” Tweezel told him where he should go, and then he went. Down the south route and into the observatory. After quite a rushed journey once again, he was into the Great Library.

After his entrance, Quint understood what the Most High Academe meant: there was barkscroll upon barkscroll upon barkscroll. Then he began his search for Aerial Creatures. When he began, he understood the essence of such a huge library. Finding ‘Aerial Creatures’ was much easier said than done. Firstly, he could barely even read what each core subject was. Every letter looked like another, and after about a quarter of an hour later, he had found what he was looking for: Aerial Creatures. From then on, he simply climbed the ‘tree’, which seemed to be very unstable, but he managed. He climbed, passing ‘not bird’, ‘not reptile’ and so on. But soon, the options got stranger, ranging from ‘not sane’ and ‘not stable’ when Quint questioned what he was looking for. Soon, he reached the barkscroll, between celestial and legendary. But…

#Yao

Quint’s joyous grin was quickly replaced by an expression that resembled disappointment and frustration. He had come all this way, through tortuous twists and turns…only to arrive at this? The scroll was simply too far away.

Searching around for a solution, Quint discovered a series of baskets lining the ceiling, attached to strings through hooks. Tugging a rope above his head, he reeled in a large basket made from refined wood and hopped in, securing himself in the contraption.

While pulling himself towards the barkscroll he suddenly realized something strange. The creature that the professor was looking for was both nonstable and insane, as noted by the signs he had been ordered to follow. Why would the Most High Academe ever want to mingle with such a dangerous thing?

The rope suddenly made a clink noise and stopped moving. Quint peered at the string above. It seemed that something small, perhaps a rock or a hard crust of dirt, had disrupted the basket’s path. Sighing, he reluctantly began climbing out of the vessel in order to reach the scroll. At first, Quint always kept his hand firmly planted on the basket’s edge, but he soon found out that he could not grasp the barkscroll if he did so. He launched his body onto the string, waiting for it to stop vibrating before beginning his journey.

Climbing was not so hard for Quint as it was for, say, Maris, because he had become accustomed to shimmying up the rigging sails of the Galerider. The problem lay not with his skill, however, but in his mind. While on the Galerider, Quint knew that if he fell, there would be always a bed of soft, interlaced ropes waiting to catch him. Up here, however, if he fell, it would be a painful death.

Inching himself nearer, he tried reaching for it but the barkscroll just barely skimmed his fingertips. Moving closer, he put both arms out in a risky move and wrenched the prize from its string.

A triumphant smile on his visage, he crawled back into the basket and stuffed the scroll deep into his robe where it could neither fall nor be damaged. But when he pulled on the rope to bring himself back to the balcony, a loud ripping noise echoed through the library.

All of a sudden, the basket containing both Quint and the precious scroll plunged towards the earth, with Quint tumbling out mid-air. Bracing himself for what seemed like the end, he was both surprised and very relieved when a pair of hands scooped him up and placed him onto a deck just a few meters above the floor.

He tried to call out for his rescuer to come forward, but neither sight nor sound could detect his savior.

After a few minutes of trekking through Sanctaphrax, Quint was very happy to be standing in front of the Palace of Shadows, especially considering what had happened in the Great Library. When he opened the door, though, he saw Maris standing in the parlor with an expression that read “I know you were out all night doing something you shouldn’t have, and whatever you’re hiding in your cloak, I want it.”

dudu

“Er… hi Maris,” Quint said cautiously, not wanting to give away his task. Maris raised a slender eyebrow and looked at the tell-tale bulge in the side of Quint’s cloak. Quint needed no more. 

“Okay, this is for your dad, but I can’t tell anyone about it; otherwise, he’ll lose his job as the Most High Acade-” Quint stopped suddenly, realizing he had said too much. Maris’ face had transformed into one of utter shock and horror, and Quint barged past her, handing her the barkscroll before she could stop him.

The kitchen was hot, almost too hot to think. But, unfortunately for Maris, it wasn’t, so as she pumped the bellows, Quint’s anxious words came back to her, louder and more certain each time. But a few scolding words from Welma lifted her trance.

Pump, child, pump!” she said, stopping her work to lean against the stove. “Forgive me, but I thought you liked your scones crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, or am I mistaken?” Maris looked shamefully to the floor. “Yes, Nanny,” she said quietly. 

“Well, then pump, child, pump!” she said, leaning towards Maris. “You know as they say, the hotter the fire,” she trailed off for Maris to finish.

“The lighter the scones,” replied Maris, slightly more cheerful now.

“Good girl,” praised Welma, “Now keep to the bellows while I tend to the apples,” 

The kitchen doors flew open, their hinges struggling to hold them. Linius Pallitax was standing in the doorway, looking like a flock of white ravens had been at him. His eyes were puffy and red, and his hair was matted. “Why did no-one wake me?” he shouted, “I’ve already missed half of the day, and now my apprentice is missing! Useless, the lot of you!” he raged. Maris cringed. Her father was mad at Quint, who had done nothing wrong, all because of her.

#Bai

Perhaps now it was time to admit to her father what had happened, thought Maris, or Quint would get into a lot more trouble than he would need to be in, for Quint had only been doing what her father had told him to do. Suddenly, she bursted out the truth. “Quint just spend a day outside doing something, and he brought back this barkscroll, and he wanted to give it to you immediately, because he said it was your orders and that if he didn’t he would be in big trouble from you, because it would aid your experiment greatly and so he needed it given to you immediately, but I stopped him from giving it to you because of how it would disturb your sleep, so I said he shouldn’t have it yet, and so he went away to study in the library here and study some particles, while I have been here making some scones…”

Suddenly, Linius bursted, “Why did you not hand this barkscroll to me earlier, when I was asleep? This barkscroll is of mighty importance. Without this small thing, it is possible that all life on this planet of Sanctaphrax of which I am the Most Grand High Academe would perish, an unfortunate resulting had I not had this barkscroll. I am glad that Quint brought it back to me with such haste, for even now, it may be too late to recover what has been destroyed. I must go now. Tell Quint that the Most High Academe requests for him to meet me at the place where he found the barkscroll at precisely twelve O’clock, wearing some suitable clothes for night time, for he and I will be doing some kind of investigation as to what happened.”

When the Most Grand High Academe left, Maris suddenly felt a deep sadness. It was clear that Linius seemed to like Quint, possibly more than her. The very thought of that grew and grew, from a tiny pore to an abyss, poring open many holes, and resulting in her falling, falling, falling through different emotions. However, she did not forget to tell Quint about his job to meet the Most Grand High Academe, although still in her mind was the difference between her and Quint. She did not understand why he had been picked over her. Quint seemed to know what to do.

 #Yao

Welma could see Maris’s mood begin to darken. Taking ahold of the bowl of scone mixture and a ladle, she began to mix furiously, sloshing out bits of dough and apple while doing so. Welma piped up telling her that she would pump more air into the stove.

Maris must have been thinking about something other than apple-cinnamon scones, because the minute Welma piped up, the bowl dropped to the floor with a loud clatter.

Immediately thrown into a mild tantrum, Maris began to cry, despairing at the fact that she had ruined the goods. But at that moment, Welma burst into a small gasp, for the bowl had landed perfectly intact.

“See, child, there’s nothing to worry about. Everything is just fine as it is!” Welma consoled.

Stopping her sniffles for a bit, and then crying even louder, Maris told her nanny every last thought that had been on her mind for the past few minutes.

“Oh, dear, come here.” Welma embraced Maris in a tight squeeze.

“Nanny, I’m not even sure if he wanted a girl!” Maris said between sobs.

“Now, you stop that thinking this instant. Your father loves you to bits. He’s just a little preoccupied with his work, is all. In fact, sometimes, I will wake up in the middle of night to get myself a cup of water, and there he is! In the living room, reading a thick book or furiously sorting through documents. The man’s stressed, honey.”

“But he shouldn’t be taking it out on his only daughter!”

“I know, sweetheart. He most absolutely should not. Here, how about we dallop the mixture into the stove and then I’ll let you lick the spoon?”

After all was said and done, Maris suddenly remembered something.

“Oh no! I forgot to apply the baking sheet to the tray! It’ll be burned to a crisp!” Maris rushed to the stove and popped her head in. The scent of charred scones wafted into the air, as if someone had lit incense.

Dropping to the floor, Maris began to cry again. Her father hated her, that wretched boy was doing what should be her tasks, and the scones were ruined.

Welma popped the scones out and tried to show Maris that even though the outside was black, the inside was still absolutely fine. Unfortunately, the inside was runny and gooey, for the dough had not yet been cooked properly.

Welma suggested scraping off the black parts and trying to cook them again, but Maris pushed her away and yelled that Quint didn’t deserve them anyway. She then stormed to her room, pushing a surprised Tweezel out of the way.

“Whatever is the matter with the young mistress?”

dudu

Maris ran. Not to her bedroom, as that was the first place Welma would look for her, but to the balcony room, pulling back its lace curtains as she ran. She had always liked the airy aesthetic of the balcony rooms, and as a child, she would run around the room and tangle herself in the curtains, and she would be giggling so hard that Welma would have to come and extract her from the lace, muttering that one day she’d break the curtains. Back then, her father had adored her, not like he was now. Maris peered over the balcony, gripping the railings. She saw clusters of academics scurrying around. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. 

‘Sanctaphrax academics,” she snorted in disgust, “Like insects, scurrying around, making deals, breaking promises, gossiping like ladies. My father, Linius Pallitax, The Most High Academe, is better than the lot of you put together!”

It was nearly midnight, but Quint still couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t understand why Maris hated him so. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he? And why had Linius wanted that exact barkscroll? What exactly did the Most High Academe want? His head was still full of unanswered questions. He looked up at the night sky, which was so beautiful now. A silhouette of something glistened in the night. It was a sky ship, and Quint’s heart ached with longing. He longed so desperately for him to be on a sky ship once again, to feel the light in his eyes, the wind in his hair, the adrenaline-packed thrill of the sky. It was in his heart, the sky, and he had been separated from it. Oh, why, Father, did you leave me down here on Sacntaphrax with the academics and the schools of worthless arts? Not to mention Miss High-and-Mighty Maris? Oh, how I wish I could be up there with you… he thought.

#Bai

Just when he had been thinking about why Maris hated him so terribly, Maris entered his room, with apparently some crucial news in which he had to listen to immediately. “The Most High Grand Academe orders for you to meet him at the place where you found the barkscroll at precisely twelve O’clock, wearing some suitable clothes for night time, for he and you will be doing some kind of investigation as to what happened.” Quint found this certainly very strange, for what could the Most High Grand Academe be asking him to do at this time at night, without previously informing him as to what happened, for he was confused as to how and what he would be doing as that would be the most important thing for him to be covering because if he would have to help the Most Grand High Academe, then he had better get ready immediately because of how the Most Grand High Academe hated being kept waiting as he found that it was a terrible waste of time when he was forced to wait for certain things, for it was crucial he insisted that everything be on time completely and fully so that his experiment would not be delayed, as he claimed it was of mighty importance. It is possible that all life on this planet of Sanctaphrax of which I am the Most Grand High Academe would perish, according to him, so therefore it would be of mighty importance that he did indeed do what he told and quickly follow the Most Grand High Academe in whatever he was doing, for it would probably be very helpful to the future of Sanctaphrax if he were to help the Most Grand High Academe and therefore he thought he should help but was also very confused at the time as to why the Most Grand High Academe wanted him at this time. What exactly were they going to go to, and why would he want him to do such a thing? It was so confusing for Quint as to why. Why was really the question he was asking, why would the Most Grand High Academe do such a terrible thing? I was so confusing, and Quint wanted to find out wat was going on so he simply decided that he was going to do what the Most Grand High Academe asked him to do so that he could actually do what he needed to do.

#Yao

Quint couldn’t sleep that night. He had tried all the methods in the book, tea, books, and even meditating. And yet, when Tweezel entered his room looking to wake the young master, he didn’t have to. The boy was sitting upright on his bed, staring at the door.

“Oh, what a surprise, young master Quint. I didn’t know you were up. Anyways, the High Academe wants you to go to the Great Library now dressed in some warm clothes, a cape or a robe, perhaps?”

As Quint was pulling on his fur coat, he noticed a large clump of black material in the spindlebug’s stomach, slowly digesting as acid pulled it apart.

“Late snack, Tweezel?”

“The young mistress made scones. A bit burnt on the outside and runny on the inside, but still perfectly delicious.”

“Oh, looks like she just loves to share, huh?” Quint sarcastically said. Spindlebugs didn’t seem to understand sarcasm very well.

“Yes! She buttered them for me as well!”

The sky was dark with brilliant stars, just like the ones Quint used to stare at from the deck of the Galerider. And besides from the beautiful scenery, the city was also oddly…quiet. Normally the hustle and bustle from Undertown and the chitter of the floating rock made it nearly impossible to think much, but now, in the middle of the silence, Quint began to let his mind wander back to when he was younger. In the big house with his father, mother, and brothers. And they would all laugh together, play together, care together. But the fire had taken his mother and all of his siblings from him. And now, even Wind Jackal was gone.

When he arrived at the Great Library, he could see the Most High Academe there, fidgeting with impatience.

dudu

Linius Pallitax stood in the Great Library with his back to Quint and Tweezel. From far, he looked like any other dishevelled academic, but his eyes gleamed with the mischief of a five-year-old.
“Ah, Quint, my boy, you’re finally here! Today we’re going to go on one of the most danger-I mean exciting adventures yet!” The Most High Academe pushed past Quint and Tweezel, only to stop and turn around to beckon Quint forwards. Quint looked back anxiously to Tweezel, who only shrugged, the charred scone remnants bobbing around in his transparent stomach.

To anyone else who didn’t understand the situation, it would’ve looked like a crazed academic and a lost child. But, fortunately for their reputation, Linius Pallitax was crazy enough to go out in the middle of the night, so that nobody in their right minds would be out unless it was The Most High Academe, of course. So they hurried along until they got to the edge of Sanctaphrax, a place where nobody would dare venture (if they were in their right minds, of course). Quint looked out over the edge to the Undertown below before looking back at Linius. He was hurrying over to a clump of foliage, where he delved in and disappeared. Then a head poked out from the branches.
“Come in! It’s totally safe!” Linius said brightly before disappearing back in. Quint made his way over before closing his eyes and stepping in.

He heard gravel crunch under his feet and panicked, thinking that it was the shingle near the edge. But no, he was just stepping… on gravel. He hauled himself into the other side of the bush. And there, before him, in all its rusted glory, was a rickety skycage that hung hazardously from the edge of Sanctaphrax.

#Bai

This was probably the most dangerous adventure that he had ever embarked in; this would the most, even possibly life-threatening if he tried to attempt it properly with the cage. He would have to go all the way down to sky knows where, and help the Most Grand High Academe in whatever he was doing — probably a very terrible and horrible new mission that he would be doing, with no doubt, for this was what he always loved to do, for this was he did best, with his ingenious thoughts and the ability to practically predict exactly what he would be doing all this time, he knew that he could trust the Most Grand High Accademe in whatever he was doing, and knew that he meant well in whatever he did, for this task he was doing probably was fantastic, and beneficial to the future of Sanctaphrax, for it could help him improve his life to whatever it would be doing. Still, quint found it strange that the Most Grand Hight Academe never conveyed or told Quint what he was doing at any time, all the time it was he, working by himself and remaining mysterious the entire time that he was doing what he was doing. But what the The Most Grand High Academe doing there being a sky professor doing in the depths of Sanctaphrax, especially with him being underneath the ground. This is what Quint found remarkably strange, about really, what the Most Grand High Academe was doing there. It seemed more and more mysterious the more he began to think about it, for it was strange that he was doing something related so far away from his usual work of being the Most Grand High Academe of Sanctaphrax. Now as Quint got into the cage, the Most Grand High Academe told him what he had to do to get him to the ‘secret place’ as the professor called it, he found it strange for the professor asked for him to stay in the cage and not leave — what on earth was behind the ‘secret place’ that he really didn’t want Quint to know? He just had to take some test results: how long it would take for the professor to come back, how far it seemed he had walked, how tired he was, and any marks there would be on his body. Quint began to think about the possibilities.

A few hours later he was back, and it was clear that he had simply been up to no good. His shirt was stained, and there was tears all over what was a beautifully made jacket that was now destroyed, almost for good. His hair meanwhile, was clearly messy, and he was panting by the time he had come back. Quint made a mental note for everything that he saw, and knew that the next time he was seen, he would have to follow him down to wherever he was going, and certainly find out what he was doing this whole time, yes, this was key.

#Yao

Quint placed his hand over the Academe’s forehead. It was wet, hopefully with sweat and not with blood. Placing him on the cushioned chair, Quint began to take the cage back to the bridge. And as he struggled to pull the professor out of the contraption once on land, a late-night creature was watching steadily as he tied knots into a rope, hoping to remember all that he had seen of Linius and his apprentice.

When he had finally arrived back to the Palace of Shadows, he was dismayed to find that the enormous barkwood doors were locked. With the Academe in his hands, he had no choice but to kick on the hard wood, hoping someone would hear him.

Thankfully, Tweezel’s excellent hearing picked up the noise and he let them in, with much fussing about and sighing after seeing Linius in such a terrible state.

After five minutes of tolerating all the chittering, Quint broke in with “What time is it?”

“It’s five o’clock, young master. Looks like I’ll have to get some of my stronger cordials for this one.”

Quint groaned. There was just a single hour before school started and he would have to get up again with Maris. …Maris. The thought hit him like a dagger. Straight and painful. What would Maris do to him if she found out? Would she kick him out of the Palace?

But after some more thinking, Quint decided getting booted from Sanctaphrax wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe, his father might even come back for him.

And with that, he lumbered up to his private chambers, closed the door, fluffed out the pillows, and went into a deep sleep.

What seemed like mere moments later, Quint bolted up, knowing something was wrong. His first reaction was to look at the curtains. Pure sunlight was shining through. Then, he slowly turned his head towards the clock, which read 8:12. He was late!

“Oh Maris, why didn’t you wake me,” he murmured while hastily putting on his clothes.

dudu

Quint pulled on his boots, tripping over himself in his haste. As he hurried to the academy, he saw that the ironwood gates were locked and bolted. Quint sat himself down, not knowing what to do. He wandered aimlessly around the school, hoping to find a hole or opening that would lead him through to the school. After wandering for quite a bit, he found a small opening between the ironwood bars, and he slipped through, just in time for his next lesson.

“Late again, Master Quint. We’ll have to add that to your report.” said his professer, looking disdainfully down at Quint. He bowed his head shamefully, looking down at the floor. He had never realized the brindled markings of the ironwood tree, and now as he gazed at the grey floorboards, he wanted to be absorbed into the wood, to be sucked in and never out.

“Yes sir, I’m sorry. I-” Quint paused. He had sworn to secrecy, that he would never tell anybody he had been in the skycage. He blanched, blinking rapidly.

“Yes, Master? You were saying?”

“Yes sir, I was just saying I slept in today, and I’m very sorry.”

“Master Quint, you know this behaviour is unacceptable. This should never happen again.”

“Yes sir,” Quint replied, still hanging his head. He returned to his seat, annoyed. It wasn’t his fault! He was down in the stonecomb until early in the morning, and he could not be blamed. If they had to blame anyone at all, it would be the academe. He could hear the other students casting looks at him and muttering under their breaths. He caught a few phrases, such as ‘that’s the fourth time now,’ or ‘what happened?’. He didn’t care. He was Quint Verginix, son of Wind Jackal, the greatest sky pirate of all time!.

#Bai

Despite his apparent lateness, the rest of the day seemed to pass as normal — he had his class on the sky storms, a boring two hours, and independent study for the remainder of the school schedule. It seemed already that he had two lives, one involving his adventures with the Most Grand High Academe, and his life with the school and the rest of Sanctaphrax. He couldn’t believe how strange it had seemed that his life had changed so quickly himself, from what seemed like quite a normal life on board of his father’s ship to this, a chaotic, frenzy and mad life upon the island itself with what seemed like a mad scientist, investigating things he should not be interested in, but it seemed that he was helping him doing something illegal. That thought by itself put Quint in doubt of whether what he was doing was right or not because it seemed that if he was caught helping the Most Grand High Academe, he would be in huge trouble, well, from everyone. Quint didn’t even want to think of the consequences if he was caught of what he was doing, for it would be a terrible crime, especially if he were to be in the academy where he was now, which was a very famous one, where all the best scholars in the world studied, and he would also bring shame there. He really needed to be more careful with what he did and who he told what he was doing, for otherwise, it would be terrible. Also, he knew there was much tension based on the way how the Most Grand High Academe ruled: a lot of people supported him to the end, but then there was also a lot of people who hated him and wanted him to leave, meaning there was a very unstable system within Sanctaphrax where if the secret came out, there would be schemes on his death. But he had a problem: what was he to do if he wanted to maintain his secret, and what would he have to do to find out the secret of the Most Grand High Academe? This was such a strange thing, for how would he have to go and find out the secret: it was such a strange thing. WOuld he have to explore the caves by himself and discover the secret of whatever the Most Grand High Academe was not telling him, for he realised it was crucial that he know what would happen, for he had to find out what was going on: it seemed so strange: it must be vital if the Most Grand High Academe was caring about it so he had to locate it immediately and tell Maris what his father was doing the whole time.

#Yao

Quint had known he would have to tell Maris, but as he neared the Palace of Shadows, he hoped with all his might Maris had gone off with her friends and wouldn’t return until the next year. He had taken his sweet time coming home, exploring new alleyways and buying some candy on the way back with his little pocket money. And because of that, he knew Maris would be standing in front of the doorway the moment he came home, with that signature scowl on her face.

Surprisingly, however, she wasn’t. Instead, she was perched on top of a stool, chewing what looked like a sandwich but obviously not tasting any of it. Cautiously, Quint tiptoed past her, wondering if her trance would keep her from noticing him. No such luck.

“I can see you, Quint.”

Stopping abruptly, the boy was forced to take the seat next to her after she motioned for him to do so. Maris didn’t seem too angry; she even handed the rest of her dinner to Quint. Despite it all, however, Maris still glared at him from across the table, and he began to feel a fistfight was coming up. Thankfully, Maris didn’t say or do anything for quite some time, letting Quint enjoy his meal. When he had finished the last few bites, however, she spoke.

“I suspect Wind Jackal is very dear to you. Now, imagine if Wind Jackal got into a swordfight and was mortally wounded. Only no one told you about it, and you just wake up to him with his ear half gone and his mind blank as paper. How would you feel if you never did find out where it happened, and he keeps coming back with graver wounds? First a twisted leg, then an ear, then a skull. How would you feel, Quintinius Verginix?”

A pang of quilt ran through Quint’s veins. He opened his mouth, but only a low gurgle came out. Clearing his throat, he managed to splutter “He’s been going into the stonecombs.”

dudu

The effect on Maris was instantaneous. Although she tried her best to hide it, even Quint could see the shock and horror mapped on her face.

“N-no. No. I refuse to believe it. He wouldn’t do something so stupid!” she exclaimed, the look of horror quickly transforming into a look of anger.

“I can’t believe it! I should have known! Then I could have at least done something!” she stormed off to her father’s sleeping chambers. 

“Oh, Linius Pallitax, you are in for it now!” she whispered. Quint went up to her, grabbing her arm as she went.

“No, please don’t tell him! I know that you’re mad and everything, but then he’ll get angry at me!” he pleaded. Maris turned to face him.

“I knew it. You don’t even care a bit about my father, you just care about yourself!” she shouted. Her face turned into an expression of sadness.

“I thought you were better than this, Quint,” she said with sad finality.

Quint sat dejectedly in his room. He didn’t know what to do. Then, a crash followed by a muffled “I’m fine! Honestly!” and Quint’s bedroom door swinging open, and the haggard face of Linius Pallitax poking through. His dead eyes held a feverish gleam, and Quint stood immediately to welcome him. Linius Pallitax drew himself to his full height and told Quint that they were going into the stonecomb again.

#Bai

They were going into the stonecombs again. This could be a disaster, given how the previous session of stonecomb entering had gone. Now, he had to follow the Most Grand High Academe to wherever he was going, and therefore he had to follow him, which meant waiting for a while before belting after him. This was a very risky plan, for if he would be caught and he did not know what would be happening, it could mean he be in a lot of trouble to find himself in — this would mean a terrible result, especially if he was caught when the Most Grand High Academe decided to involve him in one of his dastardly experiments: this would not result well, especially if one those experiments was fatal. It was still terrible if the Most Grand High Academe never ever trusted him with his life again, which would be the cased had he done such a deed. But then Quint began to think to all the great things he would suddenly know if he did indeed follow the Most Grand High Academe to wherever he was going, he would know what he was doing, how he was doing it and many other great details he could not know had nhe not done such a great thing that he would never forget how did found out the secret of the most important man in the whole of Sanctaphrax — the Most Grand High Academe of Sanctaphrax and how he could use that secret and spread that secret and tell everyone how he found out the most important information about the Most Grand High Academe. It seemed too good of a deal to not accept, so he had to, simply had to follow the Most Grand High Academe until he lead him to the greatest of secrets and allow him to intake into the greatest of adventures: the would be the journey of the lifetime, how he could learn so much and have so much fun: surely he could not decline such an offer, although by whom the offer was made from he did not know. So he simply had to follow the Most Grand High Academe for the maximum benefit and the most education from the learning process: what would be the fun in not doing so, Quint asked himself. So he had to do so, and so when the time came, he would go.

#Yao

Quint donned his cloak and followed the Most High Academe out the door, this time with a plan in mind. They climbed into the skycage and Quint fastened his seatbelt, preparing for the descent down to the stonecomb. Strangely, however, the skycage seemed to be different today. Were the chains too rusty? Did the door lose a screw? Despite all of his inner worrying, Quint carried on as a good apprentice would have, following the orders given to him. He cranked back the altitude lever and then adjusted the lantern at their heads so that it would be more accessible.

The skycage began dropping steadily, and everything appeared to be going smoothly. Quint glanced over at Linius, wondering if the Professor was also feeling malaise. It was hard to discern his exact emotions, as it was a mixture of stress and excitement. If the cage had been more capacious, the Most High Academe would have certainly been hopping up and down.

Suddenly, the chains stopped cycling and the skycage stopped about fifty meters from the entrance to the stonecombs. Quint glanced up to see if something was interfering with the chain system, but nothing could be seen from his position.

“Oh, no! Look!” Linius gestured to the chains. They were moving again, but one side was rapidly going up. And in a pulley system, when one side starts going up, the other side drops.

“Gahhhhh!!!” Quint screamed as they plunged down towards low sky. The Most High Academe was holding onto the rails so hard his knuckles were white, and the buildings of Undertown were beginning to get closer and closer.

Fate would not have them die today, however, as the skycage slowed down just in time, a few feet above the entrance point.

After a minute of wheezing and coughing, the Most High Academe grabbed the lantern and leapt off onto a small outlying, promising Quint a swift return. After Linius’s feet stopped making sound, Quint readied himself for the jump.

dudu

Quint leaned over the edge of the skycage, measuring the jump. He steadied himself, grabbing onto the rusted bars of the cage for extra support. He rested his foot on the edge of the cage, tensing it slightly when he heard it creak under his weight. He tightened his hands around the bars, then loosened them slightly. He was going to jump. He let go of the bars and pushed himself over the edge of the cage, the skycage moaning quietly at the sudden leverage.

He realised too late that he had miscalculated the jump. He had underestimated the jump length and the power needed to get there. So he landed clumsily, sending pebbles skittering over the side of the rocky outcrop as he straightened himself out. Luckily, Linius was too caught up in his world to notice. Linius stood at the entrance of the stonecomb, looking at it sombrely. Then he stepped into the shadowed recesses of the rock, not knowing that Quint was behind him. So, with a trembling foot, he stepped in, not quite sure if he was ready to see the horrors within the unexplored depths of the place where it all began.

In a matter of minutes, he has lost Linius through the narrow passages and tunnels. He drew out his chalk, marking his way through the stonecomb with smudged black arrows. He quietly ventured through the tunnels. Then he saw a black silhouette whispering to himself,
“Calm yourself, Linius,” through the darkness. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had found the professor. He noticed the rock around him was marred with blows from a pickaxe, short, heavy blows to clear out the porous rock. Then, as he followed the professor, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering whether he really knew his way or not.

#Bai

It was really terrifying as to what exactly he was doing and where he was going for it was important that he find his way to wherever he was going which would hopefully be quite close to wherever he was going which he did not know: he would be relying on the Most Grand High Academe to find out the secret location that he so desperately needed to locate to have even a clue as to what he would be doing when he located the Most Grand High Academe and found out what he would be doing so that he could gave tell Maris and let her know what her father was secretly doing at that time which would be crucial. But first he had to locate the Most Grand High Academy which would be easier said than done given that the passageway was a crazy mess which had no obvious start and finish. Therefore he had to be careful, and had to be aware of the dangers that would surround him which would kill him, he knew or the Most Grand High Academe would not want to come here so terribly. But how was he to come back if he were not to even know the way to whatever the Most Grand High Academe would be searching for? This was such a strange scenario to be in, even for Quint. Where was he to go, to find the true location? Could he really find his way out? He was so confufsed that he even almost lost the location of the Most Grand High Academe which would be been terrible if he had found it because it would have meant that he be lost wihch would possibly result to his death. He simply had to find a way, he had to find a way to make sure that he somehow still survived and could therefore do other things. But for now he just had to follow the Most Grand High Academe. After some time, he arrived at a place in the stones where he heard the Most Grand High Academe bring out something and try to use it: there were clanking sounds, but Quint was too afraid to look in fear of being caught. Also, he reasoned, he had to be back to the trolley before dawn, or the Most Grand High Academe would know he was somewhere else. But how was he to find his way back?

 

#Yao

Quint slowly pocketed his chalk. He could feel he was nearing a sinister secret.

“Oh, damn you hideous creature! Stop struggling!”

Quint stopped. His hands automatically went to his knife, as if something would jump out at him in the darkness. But nothing did, and so he kept advancing, but much slower and softer. The sounds were getting louder and louder, and Linius could be heard cursing and screaming. For a moment, Quint almost turned back and left, but he knew he need to find out.

“Am I ready for this?” he murmured as he crept towards the open door. But just as he reached it, Linius wrenched out the locket and the door slammed shut. His knife, however, had caught on it. With horror, Quint realized that the professor would notice the point and immediately discover him.

He gripped his knife tightly. Wind Jackal had given him this one on his tenth birthday. Its handle was made from pure gold, decorated with rubies. The blade was a sleek gray and always sharpened to perfection. However, Quint knew this was beyond just a little pocketknife. Wrenching the blade sideways, he swiftly snapped it, letting the slimmer, pointed end fall to the ground.

As Quint walked back, he began to notice the chalk wasn’t exactly adding up. He’d sometimes come to a split with no chalk, or one where every tunnel had chalk on it. And was it chalk? It seemed a bit grayish…

Collapsing onto the ground, Quint began to hyperventilate.

 

#Tiger

Quint breathed carefully, trying to clear his mind. He stood up and shook his head vigorously. There were numberous marks on the stonecomb, black smudges, dark stains, blotches… He wondered which marks he made. The worst of all, however, was the realisation that the rocks moved. Some of the narrow passages became more narrow, preventing him from passing by, and some at some parts, the ceiling was so low he couldn’t even crawl through it. The walls circled around him, confusing him on which path to take. What hope was there now of following the trail of arrows?

Quint groaned inwardly. He still needed to find the professor as well, and the creature inside it.

‘Which way do i go?’ he whispered to himself, shaking. He saw two different paths with black smudges with arrows but both the opposite of each other.

‘This way, then’ he thought, after touching the arrow, turning to the tunnel on the left. He then saw the next arrow. He touched the mark, just to be sure. Like the previous time, his index finger now had the same murky black substance. He walked further along, and he heard the muffled footsteps of someone…..or something.

dudu

He froze. The sinister, echoing sounds of its footsteps came closer, almost laughing at the fear it set in Quint’s heart. It paused, and Quint let out a short, relieved breath. That was a mistake. It reappeared, louder and resounding in Quint’s heart. His palms became clammy, and his heart roared in his ears. He knew it. He was going to die. No. No. No. no. no. nonononononononononononono

                                                              nonononon

                                                                                        ono.

Quint was sure he had died. But no, he was still trapped within the pressing containment of the stonecomb, unsure of where he was. The darkness was crushing, and only then did he realise his lantern had snuffed out, lifeless. He shuddered. Everything was so lifeless here, and the evils that weren’t were… well, evil. Quint had no choice but to carry on, in the slim chance that he would find the professor or find a way to retrace his steps out of the stonecomb. He contemplated what to do. Then he picked himself up and decided to go on. He heard footsteps again, this time more rapid and fleeting. He knew it was Linius. He followed the sounds, darting quickly and not gracefully between pillars of stone and gaping mouths of stony teeth. 

Linius drew out his medallion, trembling. He pressed it into the indent, turning it. The doors opened, sending clouds of dust drifting into the air. And then, Quint saw it. The prize of the whole of Sanctaphrax: the treasured heartstone. It pulsated and sparkled, and Quint felt drawn to it: so drawn he didn’t see what Linius was doing. 

#Bai

He couldn’t see what was going on. All he could see was the gleaming gem that the Most Grand High Academe was holding and it certainly took his attention into what he was going to see, for he knew that if he were to find his way out of the mess that he was in, he would certainly and most definitely need to leave now and escape now. If he was to do so, of course. But the gem held so much physical attraction that he desperately wanted to have it, and the passion rooted him to his feet because that gem felt so much like his that he couldn’t let go of the passion to have it. How could he stop now, now that the gem was so close to him? A temptation to simply snatch the gem off from the Most Grand High Academe’s hands turned into greed, and he felt like the enemy within many of the crime stories he had read, and felt so guilty, that suddenly his conscience came all the back to him, and he knew that he had to do what his conscience told him to do, because that it was right, and right most of the time, and it told him right now to run away before he was caught by the Most Grand High Academe. But he was so most desperately lost, and since the rocks moved, he was in such a terrible issue that he could find the chalk which had placed by himself and he would be so lost but he had to find a way out of the mess that he was in, because then he could so easily find a way to work out where he was to go and how he was to do it, therefore making the most important impact on what he was to do and where he was to do it. It was key that he needed to guarantee that he could actually find the way out the mess he was in because it would be so dreadful if he stopped now because he was so close: so close to finding his way out and being able to tell the secret of the Most Grand High Academe because that was all that mattered to him now. He simply had to find his way out, and he had to tell people about what he had discovered. This would be key to his success.

 

#Yao

Quint grasped the nearest rock, fumbling to illuminate his surroundings using the lantern. Suddenly, a small rock chipped away from the roof of the catacombs and shattered the outer glass of the lamp, igniting a small burst of hot oil. Jumping back, Quint slipped and fell clumsily onto his bottom, his knee grazed by a clump of sharp rock. Blood began to trickle from the gash, and pain rendered his entire right leg quite useless.

“Gahh!” the boy hissed as he tried to stand up. Desperate, he poured a few drops of water from his canteen onto the wound and then wrapped it up with teared fragments of his own robes. This was all to prevent festering and parasites entering the wound, which would be fatal.

As he limped towards what he thought was the correct exit, he suddenly noticed the sound of something squeaking behind him, making a sound that could only be compared to a rubber duckie.

Aiie-Aieeee!” 

It didn’t sound natural and it sure wasn’t water dripping from some crevice. Quint held his breath as he swiveled his head to and fro. His knife was broken, and he was completely defenseless if something came out from the dark to attack him.

Something inhaled behind him, and as he turned his head, he narrowly dodged a large creature’s tackle for his head. It landed about twenty feet away, with glowing red eyes and a shapeless form.

It licked the trail of blood, purred, and then sprinted towards Quint.

 

#TIger

idk ;( 

ignore this
anyways eh- ᵇʸᵉ

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

His scalp pricked. Staring fearfully, he stepped backwards. The creature advanced, taking each step carefully. Their back was arched like they were about attack when…

”Digit?”

The Lemkin purred and rubbed his head on the boy’s ripped trousers. Quint absent mindedly stroked the lemkin. How did it get here? Wasn’t it supposed to be in Maris’s place? Was he dreaming?! Well, he must’ve walked in the right direction, digit came out of somewhere.

Quint slowly trudged over a branch and walked cautiously forward. Digit trailed him along, delighted that it had found the boy. Digit loved the smell of him. There was a bright light ahead of him and the boy crept gingerly to the exit. He took a deep breath and…

‘Thank sky!’ he murmured, rejoycing the fact that he won’t be facing any more creatures. He was finally free of the terrifying stoncomb.

On top of the cage, was a white raven. It looked dangerous, despite its innocent looks and small beak. As Quint leaned to open the cage door, the raven screeched and flapped its wings. It nipped Quint with its sharp, tiny beaks. Quint’s reaction was full of rage and anger. He was outraged. He fought all those deadly monsters just to be stopped by a bird? A silly, weak bird? No. He was not going to accept that. The boy shook his head and clenched his fist.

‘Do you think i’m afraid of you? After going to the stonecomb?’ he roared, whilst his heart pounded. ‘Well, do you?’

The bird flew away with indignation, and screeched queer sounds at him. It was obviously annoyed.

Quit glared and yanked the door.

‘Professor!’ he cried.

dudu

He stared into the cave. The Professor had disappeared in the time that he was sightless, and all that was left was him and the lemkin. He looked around for the little lemkin but couldn’t find it. He shrugged it off and advanced further into the cave, further into the throbbing darkness.

He saw Digit. Well, not Digit, but two gleaming yellow eyes shining like yellow orbs through the darkness. 

“C’mere Digit,” Quint crooned, twitching his fingers for Digit to come. The little lemkin looked at him blankly, drifting further into the cave. He heard footsteps come down the cave, gliding closer ominously until a lufwood lantern lit the darkness, and an indignant face peered through the dark. A face he knew quite well, a face that had berated him one too many times.

“Maris?”

Maris glared at him, the sharp contours of her face lit by the flickering light of the lufwood lamp.

“What are you doing, coming at this time of night?” she hissed at him. Quint held his hands up as a sign of surrender.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said. Maris rolled her eyes and sighed. Quint turned around, but Digit wasn’t there anymore. He whipped around again to Maris. 

“Look what you’ve done now! You’ve gone and scared off Digit!” he snapped. Maris’ brow creased in confusion. 

“What do you mean? Digit’s at home, with Welma,” she said, bewilderment clear in her voice. Quint knitted his brows together. 

“Then… who’s eyes were those?” he asked, turning around to point at the now-red eyes in the dark. Maris blanched and turned around slowly, just in time to see a blistered, grotesquely formless red cloud drift towards them.

#Bai

What was that terrible creature behind them, lurking through the dark and causing fear all around them: the creature that had pretended to be Digit, that would slay them all? Fear was trembling all through him and he felt that was nothing he could do. What could he do to combat such a powerful beast, one that would slay them all at his will, and he felt a wave of unease pass over him that this was the creature that everyone had been so fearful of and so Maris and him had to be careful, extremely careful in fact, for one mistake could result in the death of an entire population, that of Sanctaphrax if not certainly very damaging. Indeed, he must, emphasis on must defeat the beast but how was he to do that? He had entered the cave, unprepared and not ready to fight the beast that had been so powerful and that was so deadly to him that he could not even stand, beside this monster. How was he to defeat it if he could not even equal it? Now was not the time to fight. He was underprepared and before this encounter had no idea what the creature even was so therefore he thought it would be best if he simply fled from the situation that he was in as that would be a safer approach than what he was doing then, which was trying his best to fight, but not no avao, because the situation was so dire for him that there was nothing he could do. How? Why? When? He could not fight, he simply could not, and so he turned and ran.

THis was not a good idea because of the speed at which he had to leave the building but away he went, fortunately leaving just about unscathed. THe only issue was how he was to leave, for he was getting lost, increasing lost by the minute and that was when the nerves got to him. Again, he started sprinting through the cave and fortunately, purely by luck, he succeeded in leaving the cave, which had stopped him for so long, and out he went. He had to warn the people of Sanctaphrax immediately about such a terrible and disastrous thing that had occurred and so he went, with hope in his heart that the country of Sanctaphrax could indeed with such a battle, and that the people could indeed win such a battle.

 

#TIger

kinda short sorry- will wrote more next time
also if any of you have discord mine is: ! Panda #8849

Quint wondered what the people of Sanctaphrax would think when he told them the news. What would they think? He hoped they would receive the news sanely, and win the battle. He wondered what would be coming next. Would there be a giant horde of monster-like creatures? Those creatures? He certainly hoped not. One was hard to beat enough, but maybe a horde? Quint didn’t think so.

He climbed over another rock slowly. He pondered if he should turn back or not. His conscience warned him not to.

” Quint!” said a voice, entering in his mind

Quint jumped back. What was it? It sounded oddly familiar. He turned his head around, only to see Maris.

‘Quint!’ said Maris crossly. “You stand and leave me there!”

dudu

Quint could see the red form drifting towards him from afar. He panicked, not knowing what to do. Maris was about to be consumed by the red blob, and he was in no position to help her. He was helpless, stuck between two ledges. He didn’t know what to do. Quint jumped, falling into an unseemly lump onto the cave floor. The red figure advanced, trailing ever closer, leaving Maris unconscious on the floor, a small thin pile on the ground. Vast redness loomed over Quint. He closed his eyes. It can’t be that bad, can it? He thought as the blob came closer and closer and closer.

Quint couldn’t feel anything. He thought he was dead, but when he opened his eyes, he was still in the cave, but a stooped hooded shadow was standing over him, swinging a small leather pouch. The figure saw Quint looking at it confusedly, and he explained, “This is chine. Harmless to you or me, but for that, it’s deadly. But it’s very rare. It can only be found on the banks of the river in the Forests,” Quint pressed the heels of his hand into his eyes, rubbing away the tiredness and sleep. He got up to go to Maris, but the figure stopped him, clasping his shoulder with a bony hand. They were knotted, gnarly hands that had almost certainly done rough work in their time. “Don’t do that,” it said, “She’ll be very tired, after having her energy being drained by… by that… thing,” Quint shuddered at the mere thought of it. It had first pretended to be Digit to lure them inside, and the thought of its grotesque, disfigured body and blistered, knobbled skin made his skin crawl. But what scared him most was that that thing was still loose among the caves.

#Bai

A large amount of fear filled Quint, and forced him as if he could not even breathe because of how stressful and how disturbing the game he was playing was: one tiny false move and he would be dead before he could even consider what had happened to him because of the terrible way that life worked for him because he was immediately falling under the spell of the great big red blob that would indeed dominate his life and absolutely destroy his life from occurring if he did indeed succumb to the great power and the great terribleness of his adversary that would not even hesitate to kill him or murder him in the slightest because of how great the power was and how he would choose immediately to do such a disastrous thing that would have him killed immediately. He could not, he thought in his head repeatedly and many times that he would not sacrifice his life for the beast, and that he had to think of an intelligent method, definitely, to ensure his life be secure because it would be unfortunate if he did fail and he did indeed die from the terrible thing that would occur to him if he did indeed complete such a terrible thing when or if he should say, he faced the monster that was such a terrible beast and would certainly slaughter him in no time because of how weak and small he was compared to the great and powerful creature that he hated so badly because of how weak he was he seemed like a toddler facing a giant, which was an accurate representation of actually what and he faced the beast that lived and that he was forced to try his hardest to protect the people of Sanctaphrax from the east what would not hesitate to enslave them, and murder them without even athoiight on his minde because of how cruel he ws, and how he could simply murder then then and there, but was not only forcing himself to kill, be also enjoying the process of doing so. Quint suddenly felt a terrible feeling: he could possibly die, and that thought made him want to go and hide, but he had to force himself to not do that action. How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How? And more importantly, why?

#Yao

Jumping to his feet, Quint was swept by a wave of decisive action. He would rescue Maris and then get to the bottom of the mystery involving the professor, for, after all, that was still a primary objective. Taking the bundle of chine in one hand and his courage in the other, Quint bid farewell to his savior and set off towards the blob’s lair.

A roar echoed through the air.

The interstitial crack/entrance into the monster’s cave was just up ahead, and Quint was now having second thoughts. The man who had saved him had tried to go with him, but Quint insisted this mission was a solo one. The monster roared again, and Quint covered his ears. The screech bounced off the walls and continued to reverberate in the ever-winding stonecombs.

Stepping into the cave, Quint slowly adjusted to the darkness. He could see a large figure about a hundred meters ahead. Suddenly, the entire chamber was lit up by thousands of small lights on the boundaries of light and darkness, emitted from glisters.

The blob, a hideous configuration full of eyes and tentacles, turned around to face the young boy. Quint could spot Maris lying down to his left, and immediately sprinted towards her. The large entity followed him, sliding across the floor in swift, determined movements that helped it reach Quint in just a few seconds.

dudu

Trembling, Quint shook Maris, hoping desperately, so desperately, that she would give an answer. She didn’t, her head lolling uselessly to the side. Quint nearly screamed internally, digging his fingers into her skin and shaking harder. She still gave no answer, unresponsive and cold. Then, her eyes snapped open, bleary and slightly bloodshot. She glared at him, mumbling incoherently under her breath. She made an attempt to stand up, then glared at Quint again.
“So are you going to help me up or not? Because I’ve just nearly died and I need to get up or I will!” Quint almost laughed with relief, then realised that it was not an appropriate time to laugh. But as Maris kept glaring at him, he couldn’t let himself, releasing a slight chuckle. Maris’ eyes snapped back at him immediately, shooting daggers at him. If looks could kill, Quint would have been dead by now. All this time, the blob had been advancing, unable to track them down by their fear. Quint froze as a squelching sound reverberated down the stone passageways. Then, dragging a protesting Maris along with him, he ran.

They had stopped. They couldn’t run any further. Maris slumped into a corner whilst Quint tried to figure out where they were. Then, in the corner of the light was a slumped figure. It was the person who had helped them. They were face-down, and their small arms and legs were frozen in a scared position. He was holding his staff, which was cracked and bent.
“There must have been a rockfall,” Maris said, breaking the silence. She was right. He must have broken his staff by dislodging the rocks. As they got closer, however, it spasmed, flipping over to its front. His skin was pulled tightly over his bones, gaunt and hollowed, and his lips were dry and shrivelled, drawn back to reveal his teeth, bared in an everlasting grimace. But this was nothing compared to the eyes. A blank, gaunt white, with no pupil or iris. Quint looked at Maris. They wouldn’t survive this.

 

#Yao

Quint grabbed Maris’s limp arm and dragged her away from the crevice of the cave, now blocked by their heroic and brave savior. At least he’s trapped the monster forever, Quint thought to himself. Then, hoisting Maris onto his back, the boy began making his way towards the exit that would lead them back to the main passages.

“No!” Quint cried out. The exit was blocked by a large boulder. Frustration, anger, and desperation swirled through his veins, with both his mind and body exploding. Dropping Maris, he rammed his shoulder against the rock in a futile attempt to knock it over. Something cracked, and Quint stumbled back.

His shoulder blade was broken, and his entire body shook with pain.

Collapsing next to Maris, the boy began to weep, partly because of the pain, but mostly from the feeling of having failed his friend.

Suddenly, something moved behind him. Turning around, Quint stared at the small pieces of rock crumbling to his feet.

Jumping up, he began frantically punching at the loosening slab of rock. A thought struck him. Where rock was extremely loose, there had to be…

“A tunnel!” Quint yelled out. Never had the thought of crawling through bugs and dirt excited him so much.

The tunnel was narrow, but Quint had just enough room to bend down while carrying Maris on his back.

They didn’t have a lantern, but Quint didn’t care. Wherever this tunnel led, it had to be better than a glister’s lair.

After about ten minutes of slowly edging through grit and worms, Quint hit solid rock. He fiercely pushed against it until it fell loose, at which point both he and Maris tumbled onto the hard floor.

Dazed, Quint tilted his head up to see where they were. Just a few feet in front of them, there was a door with the print of the Most High Academe’s medallion. They were at Linius Pallitax’s laboratory.

It was at this exact moment Maris began to come to her senses.

#Bai

Quint had a lot of regret about what to do because he was just so confused, and he couldn’t think straight. The situation looked impossible: he couldn’t possibly leave, with Maris and leave alive to tell the tale to their friends, the people of Sanctaoohrac. It just couldn’t be done, that would be impossible. But then how, how would they complete such a task if they were to succeed, which was what seemed like a task they could not do without help? Help. It was what they so desperately needed in their lives, a form of help to benefit them from their troubles. But then to complete it, they would need someone else. But the problem was, all the people that they already knew about the project, them two, were already captured, which meant that unless that there was a stranger to come, they would both be completely done for and would not have any possibility on how they could change the situation they were in until Quint remembered someone: the strange and crazy stranger that had for some reason helped them before could be beneficial to their health. He had to escape, he simply had to do so to make sure that he could indeed survive such a horrific experience in which he would be forced to complete such terrible crimes. How would he do this, though without the help of anyone else? It seemed a difficult question to answer, so he had to go further and think: who did he know that also knew about the project that could give them a hand in which case they could finally escape from the torture of the world and into freedom. Well, the answer was right in front of him, the whole time. The person that claimed of knowledge – he could rescue them to safety. But how? It seemed simply impossible to connect to such a disastrous event, but how. That was hte stunning question be raised again and again. How? There could only be one answer: they would have to fight their way out of the mess that they were in, out of the possible dangers that could destroy them or indeed save tehm, and instead have to go all the way to find the man that was helping them so that thye coyudld live for the success. They were forced to do so, but again, how would they do it?

dudududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududududdudududududududududududududu

okay perhaps we shouldnt do the whole series.

Linius was in his chambers, sleeping. Then, Quint crept up, nudging his shoulder.
“Professor, it’s me, Quint! Wake up!” Linius stirred before waking up.
“Mmm-hmm?” he said sleepily, “Yes?” Quint smiled.
“I’m here. I came as quickly as I could,” Linius frowned.
“Where’s Maris? Did she find you?” Quint turned to him and smiled softly yet cruelly.
“You see, they did find me. Yet I am still alone.” Linius gasped, choking on his next words.
“So…?” Quint smiled wickedly, his tongue flashing out for a second like a snake.
“I don’t know how to phrase this…” Quint said. He stared at the floor, but not like a guilty child. Almost as if he was trying to hide the cruel pleasure on his face.
“Something terrible happened. It all happened too quickly,” He said, drawing out the words, spending time on each word, dragging them out to let them sink in. Linius grabbed the boy by the shoulders, digging his fingers in.
“D-don’t,” Linius choked out, “Don’t tell me,” Quint smirked. Linius climbed out of his bed, walking unsteadily towards Quint.
“Please no,” He whispered, “Why did Maris go down into the mine? Was it all my fault? Why?” He spoke the last word in a whisper, barely able to digest it. “Don’t tell me the glister got it,” he said. Quint drew out a long grin.
“It grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to a wall. I was powerless to stop it. I couldn’t do a thing. It squeezed, and her head turned red. Her eyes bulged…” He was interrupted by a choking plea from Linius.
“Please, no! No!” Quint struck out at him then, a look of poisonous contempt on his face. Linius looked up at him.
“Quint? I-is it really you?” Quint smiled, the humourless derision back on his face. He drew back the clasp on his cape, revealing the medallion against his neck. It was stark against his slim white throat.
(quint is actually the gloamglozer pls carry on)

#Bai

Quint began muttering the lies that he had been saying since the start, lies about what was happening down in the caves, down below them. Quint was feeling even more desperate about what was happening because of what was happening to him and Maris down below in the caves and hence what he had no control over and hence he could not do anything and what could he do to save this position? It felt like a game of chess, but he could not even make a move while the opponent had full control over into what opening they played, what middlegame and strategies they would play in, what endgame they would play in with copious amounts of material advantage, and positional advantage that they could use to beat him, ultimately into death that would be the end of all that they had worked for and all that they had even done to save the country of Sanctaphrax would now all be gone, gone into the depths of the world as they perished. And what would happen to Linius, what would he be feeling, what would he be doing right now? Searching for them? What people would actually care about their lives, and who would simply abandon them for the position and lifestyle that they had? Would they do it? Could they survive? They were stuck in a position of zugzwang, where every move would only be detrimental, even more detrimental to their health than would be before. This was even worse, for if they moved, they would be simply destroyed without any form of resistance to what they had been working for all this time, could they actually do such a terrible task and betray all that they had been working for an actually go somewhere else and just simply follow the rules of such a strong and great group of people who would use evil that would fight people and attack them for their own entertainment and hence needed some form of help against such a strong opponent. How would they do this without being such a failure in which they would disappoint the entirety of Sanctaphrax by being taken over: this would be disastrous and could never occur and which this could never ever happen to anyone, this would be a disaster to all of society. Soon they had to assert dominance in which they could finally win against whatever would happen in which case they would win.

#Yao

It had all happened so fast, with the gloamglozer, and the rock, and the…

Quint’s eyes fluttered open. He tried to rise, but his back and elbows hurt, thus containing him on the ground. Gently, he propped himself against a hard surface and began to fall back into a coma.

“Quint! Quint!” a small squeaky voice awoke him. It was Maris, bruised but not majorly. She was kneeling, a small match in her hands.

“Huh?” the boy opened his eyes and blinked at the flame. He stared into the rocks behind Maris and then began getting dreary again. Thankfully, however, Maris was there. With a quick slap, Quint was back on his feet in no time.

“Ow!!!” he cried, stumbling onto his hands and knees. He lifted himself up and pushed her, a signal that he was awake and well.

“Where’d you get the-” Quint started, but Maris interrupted with the answer.

“The match came from my pockets. I didn’t know that was still there. Each one burns out in about ten minutes. We’ll have to hurry if we want to get back to the palace.”

The palace…Quint’s mind exploded. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened. They had been exploring the laboratory when the gloamglozer had attacked them in its original form of a hideous demon. Quint had tried to defend himself and Maris with a rock, but in the scuffle, he was knocked back and hit his head against the rock. The last thing he could remember were strong, determined hands dragging him away from the gates.

“Well then, we better get going!” Quint began to venture down the tunnels, a newfound sense of courage awaking inside him. Maris obediently followed him. It wasn’t like she had a choice.

After about two hours of wandering in the dark corridors, the pair finally made it out to the surface, coming from a hidden entrance somewhere along the busy streets of Sanctaphrax. Despite the lack of energy and food in them, they both sprinted towards the Palace’s directions.

When they approached it however, a huge crowd was gathered around the gates, screaming and shouting. As they came closer, they saw why. The entire house was engulfed in flames.

 

tiger

Quint stood there for a moment, and then quickly recovered. Desperately, he dragged Maris’s hand and spirited towards the fire. He used the last of his energy to reach the crowd, who were still shouting and screeching. Maris looked at the fire, shocked. What happened? He felt a horrible sense of dread. It wasn’t the gloamglozer, was it?

A scream broke his thoughts. The man next to him clutched his shoulder and pointed towards the flames. It was growing bigger every second. A flame set ablazed the dress the woman nearby had and everyone huddled around her, putting water on it.

“Whoever’s in it must be dead” shouted someone.

Suddenly, a black silhouette emerged from the gates. Its face was hidden by the flames around it.

“He’s the devil!” cried the woman, putting protecting arms round her child.

It erupted into Chaos. Quint looked around. Maris was gone.

dudududududududududududududududududududududu

Flames licked at the palace, marring the smooth white walls. Quint looked up at it, frozen with fear. Memories flashed before his eyes. Flames, his brothers, his mother. Their screams as his father grabbed him. The terror in their eyes…

Maris shook him hard. He wasn’t lapsing out of his trance.
“Quint, my father is dying! Everyone in it is! Welma, Digit, even Tweezel! Wake up!” Quint snapped awake. He frowned at the burning building and the surrounding people before pushing his way in front of them.
“If nobody has the heart to save them, I will!”

Quint made his way to the burning building, dodging the burning debris that littered the path. He took the stairs two at a time, pausing to recollect himself. Quint grabbed at the walls, desperately searching for footholds and cracks. He climbed up to the first balcony, planning his route from there. Onlookers guessed his next move. But none were right. He looked to the next balcony before jumping. He seemed to pause in the middle of the jump, in a desperate reach for the next balcony. He landed and crouched. He straightened himself before climbing to the third balcony. The purpose of this seemingly useless move was to obtain a rope he had seen when climbing. He tied a knot in the rope, making a lasso. Six times he tried to catch the pear-shaped loop on a flag pole, and six times he failed until the seventh time, he caught it, hoisting himself up onto the palace’s roof, where he had seen Linius. Flames grew like petals from the roof, petals from an irresistibly deadly flower. But still, he couldn’t see Linius.

#Bai

What could he do, with his limited ability. He could not simply do anything and he would be done for if he were to do anything else because he had to save so many people by himself which he just could not do by himself. How would he do this? How, without the help of a single person, singlehandledly take over the monster that was taking over the whole of Sanctaphrax and would not even hesitate to murder any of them. How could he even face anything, beat it and live to tell the story. He wished he had never been left there to rot upon the puny island, that he could do some things that he actually like and not be forced to have such a terrible time. That was his only wish, but one that he could not do and one that could not happen now if that continued. He did not want to die, and nor did anyone to die because of this action and his past actions. What were he to do? He had to run, far and wideHe could not, he thought in his head repeatedly and many times that he would not sacrifice his life for the beast, and that he had to think of an intelligent method, definitely, to ensure his life be secure because it would be unfortunate if he did fail and he did indeed die from the terrible thing that would occur to him if he did indeed complete such a terrible thing when or if he should say, he faced the monster that was such a terrible beast and would certainly slaughter him in no time because of how weak and small he was compared to the great and powerful creature that he hated so badly because of how weak he was he seemed like a toddler facing a giant, which was an accurate representation of actually what and he faced the beast that lived and that he was forced to try his hardest to protect the people of Sanctaphrax from the east what would not hesitate to enslave them, and murder them without even athoiight on his minde because of how cruel he ws, and how he could simply murder then then and there, but was not only forcing himself to kill, be also enjoying the process of doing so. He had to go and go quickly.

 

#Yao

Quint ran up the railing of the balcony he was in, making a desperate leap towards the window directly above him. The fire was closing in. His fingertips nearly missed the edge, but he managed to dig his feet into the brick and boost himself up into the room.

It was a bedroom, a guest one that was obviously no longer in use anymore. However, it was still tidy and clean with a hint of mint in the air. Hurrying out to the hallway, Quint looked around for Linius’s quarters. He recognized the door about fifty meters away, blue gems as doorknobs. Sprinting along the edges farthest away from the fire, he was able to traverse the distance in a matter of seconds.

Slamming open the door, Quint yelled, “Hold on, Academe! I’m coming!” To his surprise, a calm, collected, and unharmed professor looked back at him.

“Oh, Quint! There is no need for rescuing, I will be able to go out the fire hatch. But, quick, the fire is almost upon you! Hurry down the hallway and take a right to get out of the building!” Linius yelled. Quint nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back.

“Wait a minute…there is no ‘fire escape’ in the Palace of Shadows. And, if I take a right at that hallway, I’ll arrive at a dead end, where the fire is strongest. You’re not Linius Pallitax! Show your face, you impostor! And where is Linius? What have you done to him?”

With a sly grin, the gloamglozer returned to its original form, a demon with hideous horns, sharp teeth, and extended claws.

“You are smart, boy, but not smart enough. You and your pitiful professor will both die in here!” the gloamglozer hissed.

dyudu

The Gloamglozer advanced, tasting the air intermittently. Smoke was beginning to cloud on the roof, flashing the Gloamglozer in and out of view. The gloamglozer seemed to disappear, then teleport back into view. He could see the shadows of the gloamglozer’s burly frame, but the flames would dance in and out, making it almost impossible to bear. Quint was trapped. He couldn’t get out. It was impossible. He wouldn’t be the hero of Sanctaphrax, instead a forgotten memory who had tried and failed to rescue the Academe, a mere shadow of the people who had died on that fateful day.

As he moved, terrified as the flames surrounded him, the gloamglozer reappeared. It smirked, a terrible grin plastered on his face.
“Back you go,” it said in a sing-song voice. “Back you go into the fire,” Quint squeezed his eyes shut to hide the tears pricking behind his eyes. He was sure to die, die the horrible death that his mother and brothers had gone through. He straightened his back with determination. If he was to die, he was going down knowing he had tried to live. In doing so, he brushed his hand against something in his cloak. As he tried to see what it was, he realized he wasn’t wearing his cloak; he was wearing the stranger’s cloak. He grabbed the pouch he knew was in the pocket.
“Time to die!” the gloamglozer said, smiling happily like a small child at the prospect of candy.
“Die,” Quint echoed, throwing a handful of chine onto the gloamglozer. The gloamglozer shrieked in agony, its skin swelling and burning at the touch of chine. The smell of burning, acidic flesh hung in the air, mixing with the smoke to create a pungent, sulfuric, rotten smell. And as for the rest, Quint wouldn’t remember. He had blacked out.

#Bai

But the Gloamgozer was not so easily vanquished. How was he to survive? The Gloamgozer would surely murder him and everyone that Quint knew. He had to act, act quickly or otherwise he would be quickly found out and then he would be in severe trouble, trouble that would almost certainly end his life. Indeed, he must, emphasis on must defeat the beast but how was he to do that? He had entered the cave, unprepared and not ready to fight the beast that had been so powerful and that was so deadly to him that he could not even stand, beside this monster. How was he to defeat it if he could not even equal it? Now was not the time to fight. He was underprepared and before this encounter had no idea what the creature even was so therefore he thought it would be best if he simply fled from the situation that he was in as that would be a safer approach than what he was doing then, which was trying his best to fight, but not no avail, because the situation was so dire for him that there was nothing he could do. How? Why? When? He could not fight, he simply could not, and so he turned and ran. He had to go. 

He couldn’t see what was going on. All he could see was the gleaming gem that the Gloamgozer was holding and it certainly took his attention into what he was going to see, for he knew that if he were to find his way out of the mess that he was in, he would certainly and most definitely need to leave now and escape now. If he was to do so, of course. But the gem held so much physical attraction that he desperately wanted to have it, and the passion rooted him to his feet because that gem felt so much like his that he couldn’t let go of the passion to have it. How could he stop now, now that the gem was so close to him? A temptation to simply snatch the gem off from the Gloamgozer’s hands turned into greed, and he felt like the enemy within many of the crime stories he had read, and felt so guilty, that suddenly his conscience came all the back to him, and he knew that he had to do what his conscience told him to do, because that it was right, and right most of the time, and it told him right now to run away before he was caught by the Gloamgozer.

 

#Yao

Quint tried to run from the gem, but it was so beautiful, with its emerald shine and voices chanting “QUINT, QUINT, QUINT”.

“No, NO! Must…get…to…Linius!” he yelled, but it was all in vain. He could feel his feet beginning to twitch towards the beautiful jewel.

“C’mon, Quint. You know you want it! Just reach forward, my boy!” the hideous demon slurred.

Overcome by the sheer beauty radiating from the object, Quint grabbed it. His eyes lit up as he marveled at the sharp edges and layered shades of the gem.

Suddenly, a cloud of mist surrounded him, and he was thrown back against the wall. Flames began to creep up on him, with the hotness rolling onto the boy’s face and neck. He screamed, frightened, although he could do nothing to stop the torture.

The gloamglozer smiled as the fiery display engulfed Quint, trapping him in his grave.

“NO!” Quint screamed. The fire grew hotter and hotter, until…

Quint awoke with a gasp.

“FIRE! Linius! Mother!” the boy was in hysterics, unable to think or see anything.

“Calm down, boy! The fire has been put out, and Linius is saved!” a man with an overgrown beard told Quint.

“Huh?” Quint’s lips formed many questions, but they were never uttered. He had just spotted Maris in a throng of people crowded around something.

dudu

He didn’t have the strength to stand, but he somehow made his way toward the crowd. He pushed his way through the wall of people, and the gem was in the centre of the throng of people. It sparkled like a piece of heaven, and Quint felt himself being enraptured again. He knew it was bewitching him,and before he knew it, he was making his way toward the jewel despite the people blocking him. It whispered his name, ‘Quint…quint…quint…quint…’, a ritual chant, teasing him, beckoning him. It was almost begging him to come closer, and like the fool he was, he was listening. He stole closer, the chanting getting ever louder, “Quint…Quint…QUINT…QUINT,” The words slurred together, and suddenly his legs gave away and he was stuck, sinking slowly into a mire. Nobody coulod hear his screams of agony and help, nobody was listening, it was just him, his screams and the gem.

Quint was awake again. He made a grab for the crystal, but someone snatched his hand away.
“It’s not for your hands, boy.” Quint looked into the endless facets of the jewel, temporarily stunned.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the gemma daemoniorum, boy, what do you mean? It’s one of the most deadly things on this planet,” Quint turned this newly-found information in his head. Gemma daemoniorum… jewel of demons. It made sense, Quint supposed. It was made by the Gloamglozer. Well, not made, but produced by the Gloamglozer.
“And where does this… demon jewel come from, sir?” The figure laughed darkly.
“I’m no ‘sir’ but nobody knows, boy, nobody knows,” The stranger laughed again, revealing a full mouth of gleaming white teeth. But it wasn’t the stark colour of his teeth that struck curiosity into Quint, no, it was the filed points that could draw blood. But he was too tired to think. His brain felt like it was made of honey, thick and oozing. His thoughts were clear, but floating and moving. He couldn’t make sense of them. He didn’t know what was going on. He had defeated the Gloamglozer, but had he really won?

#Bai

He had won, but the aching feeling in his stomach convinced him this was not the case. The Gloamgozer was clearly defeated, but did that mean he could live in peace from then on? No, the urge of the gem simply gripped him, gripped him harder than anything that he could even know before, that he was simply shocked. What did it all matter, if he couldn’t even own that gem, the one that he had earned through the defeat of the Gloamgozer, what even would he still be doing, living, thinking. Where would the gem go? He didn’t care anymore, not that of his health, that of his friends, or simply anyone in particular. There could not be anything he could do. How, why? It was the sole goal of his life, of what he needed to even carry on what he could do, to continue his life as an alchemist, working harder, studying for what? For his work, but what that be without that gem, the thing that could help him so much with what he was doing, the thing that he could simply prove that he could actually be trusted and do things and he would finally be such as worth contestant of the gem. Whose was it? He had to know. He had to figure it out. He replayed the memory in his head:

Quint was awake again. He made a grab for the crystal, but someone snatched his hand away.

“It’s not for your hands, boy.” Quint looked into the endless facets of the jewel, temporarily stunned.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the gemma daemoniorum, boy, what do you mean? It’s one of the most deadly things on this planet,” Quint turned this newly-found information in his head. Gemma daemoniorum… jewel of demons. It made sense, Quint supposed. It was made by the Gloamglozer. Well, not made, but produced by the Gloamglozer.

“And where does this… demon jewel come from, sir?” The figure laughed darkly.

“I’m no ‘sir’ but nobody knows, boy, nobody knows,” 

No one knew where it came from. But he had to know, and the only place that he could think of that would serve its purpose would be: the library. The library of great secrets, the one that had contained his secret, the one that must have also contained the secret of the Gemma daemoniorum, the one he had to find, the one he had to find now.

#Yao

Leaving the crowd, Quint set out for the library. As he continued along his normal path, he felt his stomach growl. His last meal, a simple supper of toast and soup, was many hours ago, and the boy was ravenous!

He stopped before a butcher shop and made his way in, ignoring the stench of animal excrement. Using a small bag of coins in his pocket, he bought a meat sandwich and an apple.

The fresh air outside greeted him as he resumed his journey to the Great Library, one filled with loud chomps and crunches.

The door to the library was heavy and musty, with Quint having to shoulder all of his weight against it in order to get it to open.

As he looked around the barkscroll-filled room, memories dug into him like little shards of glass. Some tickled, but most hurt. He remembered the last time he’d been here, how innocent he was and how he had almost died.

This time, though, he wasn’t working for the Professor. He wasn’t working for anyone but himself. And if he fell, there wouldn’t be an eccentric old scholar to save him. He would die.

He would have to play the cautious game.

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